Wimbledon Takeaway #12: Men behaving badly

A peculiarly scorching sun had its way with the Wimbledon grass over this fortnight. But the sun also sets. Here, our ongoing roundup of passing shots from SW19, a curated much-ado-about-everything – if a bit less manicured than the Wimble-lawns themselves.

See No. 13.

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The vast majority of players descend on Wimbledon with the noblest of aspirations for both their results and their conduct. Those who dip often do so only in the heat of battle, not thinking entirely clearly in the moment, as you'll see in these examples:

Exhibit A: Denis Shapovalov.

The Canadian phenom delivered a “Dude, don’t talk to me” retort to his quasi-friend Jerzy Janowicz. Shapovalov was in a dispute with the chair umpire when Janowicz opined on the matter, and the result was a gasp-inducing (among onlookers) breach of decorum.

Exhibit B: Daniil Medvedev.

In probably the most bizarre scene of the entire event, Medvedev melted after becoming angry post-match with the chair umpire. He lashed out rather visually by pulling a batch of coins from his racquet bag and dropping them on the grass.

Not entirely rational, but in Medvedev’s own words later, not exactly chock-full of meaning.

Exhibit C: Adrian Mannarino.

The Frenchman collided with a Wimbledon ballboy, appearing to duck his shoulder for the impact, as he headed toward a changeover. Mannarino was docked a point for unsportsmanlike conduct, and he was slapped with a $9,000 fine to boot.

Mannarino did himself no favors later, telling the press, “I don't think [the ball boy] hurt himself. It wasn't a big bump. In fact, he went into me. I don't know who has priority on the court.”

Turning to the sunny side, none other than Juan Martin del Potro keeps slaying at sportsmanship:

Here’s a guy who wouldn’t even smash a racquet on the grass ...

... and who chose instead to pet the surface that was so often maligned over the fortnight.

Let it be said, though: Sometimes, on grass, it's hard to do that tennis thing.

In the end, let’s salute those who respond to situations admirably and–as long as it remains isolated–lend a hall pass to those who behave badly. Personal behavior becomes a trend that becomes one’s character; that’s not exclusive to tennis.

Follow Jon on Twitter @jonscott9.