Serena smashes and flings racquet, then gifts it to fan

Serena Williams was frustrated. She had wasted eight break points in the first set of her second-round match against fellow American Christina McHale, and she wasn't having it. Thus, with nothing else to blame, she took out her anger on her racquet, smacking it on the grass beside her chair a few times and then, a few seconds later, flinging it behind her across the slick green surface.

It just so happened to find a cameraman's lap:

McHale's future brother-in-law, Ryan Harrison, wasn't amused. And piping in from Doha, Qatar, retired pro Jan-Michael Gambill also weighed in (sort of).

In real time, the chair umpire issued a code violation to Serena for her conduct, and the match continued. Serena faced later deficits in the encounter, but she prevailed by a 6-7 (9), 6-2, 6-4 count. With a winky tweet after it was over, Wimbledon itself alluded to her faux pas even as it saluted her for bestowing the instantly infamous axe on a fan.

The sum of it certainly made for good TV, and that's so Serena.

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