July 03, (THEWILL) – There was a fiery exchange of angry words at the third round Wimbledon match between Australian Ajla Tomljanovic and Latvian Jelena Ostapenko where Tomljanovic equalled her best result at a major by surging into the Wimbledon fourth round in a match marred by controversy.
The crux of the bitter exchange cropped up in the deciding set after each player had won a set apiece with the very similar result of 6-4.
The Australian was in the ascendancy when the 24-year-old Ostapenko called a medical timeout for an apparent abdominal injury that needed attention.
This aroused the suspicion of the 28-year-old, who believed Ostapenko was using the timeout as a ruse and it was all part of her tactics to win.
The matter got to a head when after losing seven games in a row, Ostapenko went to her courtside chair and said to the chair umpire: “I cannot continue. I have pain.”
Convinced that the 2017 French Open winner was not being honest, Tomljanovic pleaded for the Court Supervisor to attend while claiming: “You know she’s lying, right? We all know. Are you taking into any consideration that she looked fine?”
It was obvious that the Australian felt there was some dishonesty about Ostapenko’s antics and it annoyed her enough for her to voice her disagreement.
Ostapenko was however allowed to receive some treatment off the court. After an 11-minute delay, play resumed with the situation back under control. Resumption gave a more calmer Tomljanovic the chance to push to victory and the Australian cruised to a 6-2 win to take the match in three sets 6-4 6-4 6-2 and complete a hard-fought comeback after losing the first.
But, the dramatic turn the game took continued at the net when traditionally the opponents share a handshake, exchange pleasantries and then greet the umpire before leaving the court. However, the shared angst between the ladies only worsened In the exchange that followed.
Reportedly, Ostapenko seemed to decide to share a few words with Tomljanovic and, from what could be inferred from her motions, began by telling the Australian that she could check with the physio whether she was faking her injury or not.
When both players began to get their gear together to leave, Ostapenko said a little bit more loudly that it was heard in the stands: “Your behaviour is terrible, terrible.”
To which Tomljanovic replied, also in good voice: “You’re the one to talk!”
Then, when Ostapenko countered with: “You have zero respect, yes?” Tomljanovic got a few cheers and claps for firing back with: “The worst player on the tour” before both players took their leave from your court as organisers tried to make sure it did not degenerate any further.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
