Mirra Andreeva, the 16-year-old Russian teen sensation whose dream debut at Wimbledon 2023 ended on Monday in her pre-quarters defeat to 25th seed Madison Keys. However, her remarkable progress was stalled by her misadventures which cost her the match. Andreeva seemed to be the better player than her more experienced opponent leading 6-2, 4-1, just 2 games away from reaching a historic quarter-final.
But in a significant turn, the second set went into a tie-break which she lost, triggering an unexpected meltdown from her, who seemed very composed and focused till now. Andreeva couldn’t control her temper and threw her racket in frustration that flew near the umpire’s chair. This prompted the umpire to give her a code violation warning.
Mirra Andreeva faces mixed reactions from the tennis world
At the business end of the final set when Keys led 5-2, Mirra Andreeva was given her second code of violation for allegedly throwing her racket at the end of a rally. However, it appeared that the racquet had slipped from her hand, as she lost her balance while trying to retrieve the ball. She has docked a point for repeating her offense, awarding a match point to Madison Keys, that Keys subsequently won.
Rules are rules!!! Let’s not forget! There’s NO room for any gray area. TOTALLY the umpires discretion 😎
— KC (New York Tendaberry) 🇬🇾 (@mrlaissezfaire_) July 10, 2023
that was SO SO SO UNFAIR.
LIKE THE GIRL ALMOST TWISTED HER ANKLE, WAS TO BE A FREAKING BAD FALL OF COURSE SHE HAD TO THROW THE RACKET BCS IF SHE REALLY WENT FULL BODY TO THE FLOOR WITH RACKET IN HAND THAT COULD BE TERRIBLE OH MY GOD I’M STILL IN SHOCK— Leksa ミ☆ (@larissatwho) July 10, 2023
She 100% threw the racquet. 🤷♂️
— Andrew Reich (@lvesckbtch) July 10, 2023
But she threw a racket. Umpire had 100% right to gave her point penalty.
— Kacper (@vvarczus) July 10, 2023
Even if the did smash the racquet she should have received a warning given that it was the first time. Giving a point penalty straight away makes no sense
— Arianna (@AriannaTenisci) July 10, 2023
The Russian refused to shake hands with the umpire at the end of the match as she felt that it was an unfair decision to dock her a point. She had earlier pleaded her case saying: “Do you understand what you are doing? I didn’t throw the racquet. I slid. It’s the wrong decision. I slid and then I fell.” But the umpire stood by her decision.
“Codeviolation, unsportsmanlike conduct, point penalty, Mirra Andreeva.”
Agree or disagree with the umpire’s decision at 5-2 deuce 🤔#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/7BuoZQ9wbP
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) July 10, 2023
Mirra Andreeva was bidding to become the youngest woman to reach the quarter-final stage in two and a half decades, which would have been truly inspiring for the next-gen. But the dramatic turn of events has led to the fans’ mixed reactions.
For some, Andreeva blew her match away by throwing her racket twice since her temper got the better of her as the match progressed. For others, the umpire was at fault for giving her a point penalty at a crucial juncture, which cost her the game as it was purely unintentional. What do you say about this controversy?