Of late, it seems like there is a new tennis on-court meltdown every few days, and the US Open has so far provided its fair share of drama.

The most outrageous meltdown thus far comes via Greek player Stefanos Tsitsipas, who decided to say that all French people are weirdos during his first-round match against Russian Andrey Rublev last week.

Another Russian, Daniil Medvedev, also copped a fine for his third-round antics against Feliciano Lopez, in a match he actually won. After being booed by the crowd, he gave them the middle finger and then taunted them after the match.

Here’s some of his on-court interview:

That’s not the joke gone wrong that we’re talking about, though, with American Mike Bryan being forced to issue an apology after his on-court antics went down like a lead balloon.

This from CBS News:

…Bryan was fined for a gesture he made with his racket during the U.S. Open on Sunday. Bryan, who plays doubles with his brother, Bob Bryan, turned his racket upside down, held it like a rifle and pretended to shoot. The target? A line judge, according to ESPN.

Bryan made the gun gesture after the official made a call that replays later showed was wrong during the doubles match against Roberto Carballes Baena of Spain and Federico Delbonis of Argentina, ESPN reports.

Bryan’s fake gun firing was caught on camera and he was ultimately fined $10,000 — the highest fine given to a male player during this year’s U.S. Open.

So he was fined more than Tsitsipas, who engaged in a racist argument with the chair umpire – that seems daft.

Let’s see the exact moment Bryan made the gesture:

Mike Bryan (@Eurosport_RU ) pic.twitter.com/vPwOiZfVqf

— doublefault28 (@doublefault28) September 1, 2019

If you’re looking for a little more context, you can watch from around the 1:10 mark of this video.

They say timing is everything, and Bryan’s timing was a little off on this one:

Just a day before the match, a gunman in Odessa, Texas, went on a shooting rampage, leaving seven people dead and 22 injured.  It was the second mass shooting in Texas in a month…

In a statement to the New York Times, Bryan apologized for any offense he may have caused. “We won the point and the gesture was meant to be playful. But given the recent news and political climate I understand how my gesture could be viewed as insensitive. I promise that I will never do anything like this again.”

Sportspeople do and say daft things in the heat of battle, and I think America has bigger problems to worry about right now.

Still, a little awareness from Bryan wouldn’t have gone amiss.

[source:cbsnews]