Tony WongWild and wacky week shakes up Wimbledon
July 3, 2000
WIMBLEDON, England - First there was the spectator who got smashed in the face with a ball. Then there was the player's father who smashed a reporter's cellular phone. That was followed up by shocking accusations of racism and assault in women's tennis.Week one at Wimbledon ended with so much scandal that it threatened to overshadow the tennis at this championship known for its sense of decorum. Following tradition there was no play yesterday.
The week of misfortune started to warm up quickly on Wednesday when Anna Smashnova was so angry at what she perceived to be goading by her opponent's husband that she smashed a ball in his direction. The problem was it ended up striking the face of a middle-aged woman in the crowd. Smashnova won the game but was fined by organizers.
Later that day American Jeff Tarango was booed off the court when he refused to shake the hand of fellow Stanford alumnus Paul Goldstein, whom he accused of gamesmanship. Goldstein, perfectly within his rights, had asked for a trainer to look at his leg just before Tarango was about to serve.
Things started to boil the next day when Damir Dokic, the father of Yugoslavian-born teen star Jelena Dokic, went on a drunken rampage through the All England Club. Wrapped in an English flag, he started to wander around the grounds singing, "I love England."
Dokic then went to the press centre where he placed his arm around British SKY TV journalist Mark Saggers, then asked to use the reporter's cellular phone. Taking the phone, he smashed it to the ground, according to Saggers.
Dokic then took out his wallet and asked how much he wanted for the phone, producing an American Express gold card.
"I said I wanted cash instead," said Saggers half-jokingly.
Dokic was then taken away by police for questioning and released later after Saggers refused to press charges.
But the biggest bomb to hit the tournament so far has been the accusations by teenaged American player Alexandra Stevenson that she has been the victim of racism on the tour.
The 19-year-old Stevenson, who has a white mother and a black father (former NBA star Julius Erving), accused French player Amelie Cocheteux of uttering a racial epithet and said French player Anne-Gaelle Sidot assaulted her mother, Samantha.
"I got called the name on court in French, so that wasn't very nice," said Stevenson. "A girl also hit my mom with a hat. I think if that happened in your workplace you'd get in trouble, but these girls didn't."
The next day Sidot admitted to pulling Samantha Stevenson's hat during practice for a tournament.
Sidot said Stevenson's mother wasn't happy that she was sharing a practice court with her daughter and an altercation started.
As for the racist remark, the WTA has said the incident had been investigated but could not "find conclusive evidence that Miss Cocheteux made this remark."
Stevenson said the competitiveness of the women's tournament means that "the majority of the girls don't like me."
This isn't the first time the Stevensons have been embroiled in controversy. Last year Samantha spoke out about fears for her daughter being on tour because of the influence of lesbianism.
And this is only week one.