Top 10 WORST Angry Outbursts in Tennis

#10: Nick Kyrgios
2019 Western & Southern Open

When he faced off against Karen Khachanov in 2019 at the Cincinnati Masters, Kyrgios at one point was told by the umpire that he was taking up too much time to serve. Bad move. Kyrgios yelled multiple times at the official and argued with him during the remainder of the match. He even smashed his racket and continued to waste even more time. He was handed a 16-week ban and was fined. It’s not like this was an isolated incident with Kyrgios though, who’s earned a reputation for his temper on the court. Most recently, at the Wimbledon men’s final in 2022, he had a go at a spectator that was supposedly drunk and heckling Krygios after SB. He proceeded to argue about it with the umpire.

#9: Stefanos Tsitsipas
2020 ATP Cup

At the ATP Cup in 2020, it was Greece against Australia in a match that saw Stefanos Tsitsipas squaring off with the aforementioned Kyrgios. Frustrated with how the match was going, Tsitsipas let his aggression out by bashing his racket near the rest area. Unfortunately for him, his coach was in the firing line and was accidentally struck on the arm. To make matters worse, that coach is also Tsitsipas’ father. Afterwards, now with a bruise on his arm, he moved from the court-side area and sat with the rest of the Greek team. Tsitsipas received a point penalty and a warning from the umpire.

#8: Viktor Troicki
2016 Wimbledon Championships

Taking on Albert Ramos Viñolas in the second round at Wimbledon wasn’t the best experience for Troicki that year or for the match’s umpire, Damiano Torella. Viñolas's serve was ruled out before being changed to an ace. Well, Troicki wasn’t having any of that. He already complained about a previous decision, but this pushed him over the edge. After screaming, Troicki grabbed the ball and ranted at the umpire that there was no chalk on it. Not getting the reaction he wanted, Troicki fired the ball into the sky before calling Torella the worst umpire in the world. Even after the match, Troicki wouldn’t let it go and continued insulting the poor guy. He was later fined $10,000.

#7: Marcos Baghdatis
2012 Australian Open

We’ve all seen a tennis pro destroy their racket during a massive outburst. But Baghdatis took it to another level at the Australian Open in 2012. Trailing Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka during a second round match, the Cypriot eventually decided to let his frustration out. While taking a breather, he smashed not one, not two, not three, but four rackets! By the end of the outburst, the crowd and Baghdatis found the absurdity of the situation amusing. You can even see the umpire trying to suppress a smile as the match was set to resume. While the Grand Slam Committee could have fined Baghdatis $2000 for the fit, they opted to hand him a bill of just $800.

#6: Jeff Tarango
1995 Wimbledon Championships

This incident has far out-shadowed Tarango's career. Trailing to Germany’s Alexander Mronz in the third round of Wimbledon, the American lost it when umpire Bruno Rebeuh (with whom he has a history with) ruled against Tarango several times. After getting a code violation for yelling at the crowd, the situation went from 0 to 100. Tarango demanded that Rebeuh be removed from his position and accused him of being corrupt. After then being handed another violation, Tarango responded by packing up his equipment and walking off the court. It got so heated that Tarango’s former wife even came down and slapped Rebeuth. And with all of that, it came to no one’s surprise when the International Tennis Federation subsequently banned Tarango from participating in the 1996 Wimbledon tournament..

#5: Martina Hingis
1999 French Open

In the final of the French Open’s women’s singles against Steffi Graf, Hingis was set to run away with the match. But then, one of her strokes was ruled out and the Swiss 18-year-old wasn’t happy. She believed it was in, and replays seem to suggest she was right. Hingis marched to the other side of the court, putting herself in a position to potentially be defaulted, to point out the mark left by the ball on the clay court. Getting nothing from the umpire, she refused to continue until the referee came out. The ref stated that the decision would stand, and Hingis received a point penalty for crossing the net. After that, Graf stormed back to win the match.

#4: David Nalbandian
2012 Aegon Championships

Reaching the final of the Aegon Championships in England should’ve been a celebrated occasion for this tennis player. Instead, he ruined it with one thoughtless action. Losing momentum after taking an early lead against Marin Čilić, he let out his frustrations by kicking a barrier. Only, he didn’t look behind it. Nalbandian punted the tiny advertisement into a line judge’s shin. He tried to plead his case that it was an accident, but since the line judge's leg got bloodied, it in turn made the situation more severe, resulting in the Argentinian getting disqualified. In the aftermath, Nalbandian was forced to give up his $57,350 prize money, fined an additional $12,560, and docked 150 ranking points.

#3: Mikhail Youzhny
2008 Sony Ericsson Open

We witnessed an amazing rally between Youzhny and Nicolás Almagro in the third round of the 2008 Sony Ericsson Open in Miami. But then, well, it got really weird and intense. Frustrated with losing a point, instead of striking his racket into the ground like most players, the Russian pro repeatedly hit himself in the head. However, rather than bouncing his head against the strings, he struck his melon with the racket’s frame. As such, this caused a wound to open and bleed everywhere. He was clearly embarrassed at his self-inflicted injury as he attempted to wipe the blood away. It even required medical treatment. But somehow and some way, Youzhny ended up winning the match.

#2: Serena Williams
2018 U.S. Open

Considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Williams has had her fair share of outbursts throughout her career, but none made as many headlines as the one she had back in 2018. Facing Naomi Osaka in the U.S. Open final, she was first given a violation for getting coaching during the match, and this made her furious. Appalled at being accused of cheating, she unleashed her fury on the umpire, demanding an apology. She was docked a point, and she pleaded her case with the officials. Regardless of whether you think she was in the right or the wrong, if there’s one thing for certain, it’s that Williams knows how to stand her ground.

#1: John McEnroe
1981 Wimbledon Championships

In the history of the sport, there’s perhaps no one who’s become more infamous or known for his outbursts on the court than McEnroe. One of his most notable incidents came during the Wimbledon final against Björn Borg in 1981. At one point, McEnroe disagreed with the umpire’s decision on a serve being ruled out. So, he famously yelled the iconic line: “you cannot be serious.” Another notable incident in 1984 at the Stockholm Open semifinal match against Anders Järryd saw McEnroe continue his trademark umpire bashing by calling the one officiating his game a jerk. He proceeded to use his racket to hit a tray of drinks among other items. He was fined $2100.