Venus Williams was fined $3,000 at the French Open after she snubbed the media by skipping a mandatory post-match news conference Monday after she lost to Sloane Stephens.
Stephens defeat Williams, seeded No. 15, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 in the second day of competition at Roland Garros in Paris,
according to Bloomberg Business. She became the first American player to have beaten both Williams' sisters at any of the four Grand Slams since Lindsay Davenport in 2000,
according to the Washington Post.
Williams, 34, issued a statement after the match instead of appearing in front of media as required,
reported USA Today. An official from the International Tennis Federation said a Grand Slam supervisors committee assessed the fine on Wednesday.
"When you arrive at any tournament you hope you will have a chance to work your way into the event, but I didn't have that opportunity," Williams said after the Stephens match. "She just played better than me today."
Stephens, daughter of former New England Patriots running back John Stephens, beat Serena Williams at the 2013 Australian Open, noted The Associated Press.
USA Today columnist Chris Chase called Williams' actions to duck the media "bush league."
"I'm not going to sit here and say skipping a presser is the most egregious thing a tennis player can do, but it's still bush league and a disappointment, especially coming from one of the game's great ambassadors and elder stateswomen," wrote Chase.
"If a player isn't in the mood to talk, not much gets accomplished at those sit-downs with the press. … And it's okay to be mad after you lose a match and want to just leave the premises, particularly when you fought hard in a great first set, then collapsed in the second. All that being said, you can’t shirk your responsibilities with the media."
Stephens said she was happy to get the victory and move on.
"Obviously it's a tough first round of a Grand Slam," Stephens said in her post-game conference. "Going into it I knew I was going to have to just come out and be really solid and play my tennis. I did that today. She's a great player and a great champion. I didn't know if she was going to blow me off the court."
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