I didn't see the match and from various reports I don't condone what Andy did - but to suggest such heavy punishments seems ridiculous. I don't like to hear anybody swearing on court, but I DO hear it - frequently - even by Gentleman Tim. And what about Greg's outburst last year?

Was this really so much worse? Can anybody who saw it tell me?

Madeline wrote:

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I didn't see the match and from various reports I don't condone what Andy did - but to suggest such heavy punishments seems ridiculous. I don't like to hear anybody swearing on court, but I DO hear it - frequently - even by Gentleman Tim. And what about Greg's outburst last year?

Was this really so much worse? Can anybody who saw it tell me?

---

Drew was there yesterday and he thinks that Judy should give him a good smacking and send him to bed with no tea

I suspect that Andy's thoughts on that advice are probably unprintable !!!

The authorities do seem to be taking this way too seriously, they're talking about fining him [fair enough, that's the regular punishment for verbal abuse] but they're also talking about taking things one step further and banning him from a couple of Davis Cup rubbers. It's no worse than some of the other British player outbursts over the years eg: Rusedski's f-word rant on prime time TV v Roddick at Wimbledon and also his rant in a match against Bjorkman at the US Open a few years back.

I think what made it worse was that [1] it was a Davis Cup tie [2] he continued to swear at the umpire at the end after it had all finished [3] he stormed off court without acknowledging the fans

If he hadn't sworn at the umpire after the match had finished I don't think the authorities would have taken this so seriously.

Independent article
Taken from:
http://sport.independent.co.uk/tennis/article356616.ece



In keeping with the wretched Glasgow weather, Serbia and Montenegro managed to rain on the delayed coronation of Andy Murray and his Davis Cup colleagues by winning yesterday's doubles, a victory joyously celebrated by their tiny courtside claque in the knowledge that it will almost certainly swing the tie their way and consign Britain to a July play-off against Israel to avoid relegation from the event's second division to the third.

As if the 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-4 defeat was not crushingly disappoint-ing enough, Murray spoiled the day even further with an end-of-match outburst against the Tunisian umpire, Adel Aref, his foul language relayed to television viewers via a courtside microphone. "I told the umpire how bad he was," Murray admitted. "You see footballers swearing after every single foul or bad decision. Because we have a mic below the umpire's chair, everybody could hear when I swore. But this is what happens in sport. Sometimes, you get angry."

Murray was fined, too, as the tie's referee, Norbert Peick of Germany, confirmed afterwards. The size of the fine will be announced today after the incident has been reviewed on TV replays, and Murray may also face a Davis Cup ban by the International Tennis Federation.

On balance, Serbia's doubles expert, Nenad Zimonjic, and the 20-year-old Ilia Bozoljac deserved to win against a British combination who rarely managed to put their best efforts together at the same time. Rusedski started marvellously, encouraging an out-of-practice Murray in almost fatherly fashion and serving in masterly style, but following Friday's three-hour singles he began to flag just as the Scottish teenager, still battling a viral problem, got the crowd roaring with flashes of his sublime skills.

This afternoon the 32-year-old Rusedski must pick himself up to face Serbia's No 1, Novak Djokovic. "I'll go to bed at 8.30 and catch a lot of zees," Rusedski said, managing a smile. "It is obviously going to be difficult against an 18-year-old who has had a day off, but I will give it 110 per cent like I normally do."

As Rusedski acknowledged, Britain took a calculated risk by asking him to be involved in all three days of this tie, and even if he pulls off an unlikely victory, the question remains whether Murray will declare himself fit enough to go on court again for what would be the deciding match. He defied medical advice to play in the doubles and said: "If I am only 20 per cent it is not fair on everybody else."

The match hinged on the break points seized by the Serbs and the many which were missed by Britain. While Zimonjic and Bozoljac captured four break points out of five, Rusedski and Murray converted just two of the 15 which came their way.

The first time he stepped up to serve, Murray was betrayed by a lack of practice and possibly nerves, double-faulting twice and committing two more errors to hand Serbia a 3-1 lead which was easily extended to take the first set.

Britain's clear plan was to attack the comparatively inexperienced Bozoljac, but it was a doomed ploy since the youngster, ranked 273rd in world doubles, was a revelation, the best performer on court. It was Zimonjic, ranked in the world's top 10, who wobbled, particularly on serve, and he was visibly relieved to be let off the hook so many times at break point.

Having missed five break points in the first set, Britain cast away a further seven in the second before pouching one, an overhit Zimonjic forehand which Rusedski encouraged on its way out of play with a bellowed "C'mon." After an hour and 10 minutes the match was level and the banners were waving as the home pair appeared to have achieved ascendancy.

But by now Rusedski was visibly slowing, and a loss of serve in the sixth game of the third set was nothing short of embarrassing, containing a brace of double-faults. He again dropped serve in the opening game of the fourth set, pitching in two more double-faults and then watching a ball which he had let go past him be called in at the corner.

That was what racheted up the brooding ill-feeling from the Serb contingent and produced an angry protest by Rusedski to the umpire.


-- Edited by The Turbanator at 10:43, 2006-04-09

Not condoning it, not condeming it, but surely it's less objectionable to swear at an umpire than a ball boy

the punishment has been announced, amid threats of a 10ker and 3 year ban they have settled for $2500 or £1434.

So that ITF guy was talking a load of ****.

Robert Phillip on Murray's F-word rant:

Foul-Mouthed Murray …Angry Young Man … Murray Rages In Defeat … Obscene Volley Of Abuse … Four-Letter Shame … Effin' Mad …

When Andy Murray entered the Davis Cup hall of infamy by informing umpire Adel Aref exactly what he thought of his performance after Saturday's doubles defeat by Serbia and Montenegro, he voiced the hope that "hopefully, not many people heard it. I think it was only on BBC interactive." Ah, the careless optimism of youth.

If you were among those not "interactive", then Fleet Street was happy to provide you with every colourful expletive. When Murray let rip, it was a case of Scottish Teenager In Swearing Shock Horror, accompanied by dark threats of a fine and a three-year Davis Cup ban. Master Murray, I have to say, is but a novice in the art of bad behaviour on the tennis court. Return with me, if you will, to the 1984 Davis Cup final during which Jimmy Connors, having gone through the entire Thesaurus of obscenities during his drubbing by Sweden's Mats Wilander, tried to shake the umpire out of his chair.

Or in 1972 when the United States had to overcome very bad sportsmanship before winning the trophy against the Romanian double-act of Ilie Nastase and Ion Tiriac.

The tennis writer and broadcaster Bud Collins recalls: "Even the Romanian linesmen were fierce patriots." So much so that when a fatigued Tiriac began taking longer and longer breathers between points, the linesmen gave up their chairs so he could sit down. As Collins remembers it, when the referee threatened to default Tiriac, he growled: "Default me and do you think you'll get out of here alive?"

Like it or not, that then is the unique atmosphere generated by the Davis Cup and, after being forced to sit out Friday's opening singles because of injury and illness, Murray was understandably dejected when he did not parade his vast repertoire of shots before his home crowd in Glasgow's Braehead Arena.

Murray's indiscretions apart, the hero of this latest great British sporting defeat was Greg Rusedski. In the past, I have often poked gentle fun at the Canadian's "Britishness" since he abandoned the land of the Mounties in 1995. The son of a Ukrainian-descended father and English mother (who departed these shores when three months old), Rusedski went out of his way to ease my doubts by marrying a nice English lass named Lucy, set up home in Battersea, took to supporting Arsenal, acquired two cats called Henry and Arthur, revealed that he enjoys a game of darts at his local, and was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1997 after reaching and losing the US Open final to Australian Patrick Rafter.

Heart of oak or Maple Leaf, what we now know with certainty is that Rusedski's ticker is the size of any Union flag brandished inside the arena after playing 12 fiercely competitive sets on this nation's behalf in just under 52 hours. With Tim Henman concentrating on tournament play, Rusedski will continue to represent Britain as long as we want him, which is jolly lucky for us.

Otherwise, considering the dearth of emerging talent, Andy Murray's reaction to any threatened three-year Davis Cup ban might well be, "Thank **** for that."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/sport/2006/04/10/strp10.xml