Serena Williams incurred a hefty $10,000 fine during the 2019 Wimbledon Championships after inadvertently damaging a practice court at SW19 ahead of her tournament debut against Giulia Gatto-Monticone. Despite the controversy surrounding the incident, Williams humorously downplayed the fine during a press conference following her quarterfinal victory over Alison Riske-Amritraj.

“I haven’t really thought about it, to be honest. I just threw my racquet. I got fined,” she quipped, before jokingly attributing the damage to her possibly being “super strong.”

This wasn’t the first time Williams had faced financial penalties at Wimbledon. In 2016, she was fined for unsportsmanlike conduct after venting her frustration by repeatedly smashing her racquet against the grass following a set loss to Christina McHale.

Despite the early setback in 2019, Williams powered through the tournament with impressive wins over Kaja Juvan, Julia Gorges, Carla Suarez Navarro, and Alison Riske-Amritraj to reach the final stages. Her campaign culminated in a semifinal triumph over Barbora Strykova, setting up a highly anticipated final showdown against seventh seed Simona Halep.

However, Halep emerged victorious in the final, delivering a commanding 6-2, 6-2 performance that denied Williams a historic 24th Grand Slam title and an eighth Wimbledon crown.

Throughout the tournament, Williams’ resilience and determination were evident, despite the distractions and setbacks, showcasing her enduring competitive spirit and commitment to the sport she has dominated for years.