American doubles player Mike Bryan was fined $10,000 by the US Open on Sunday for his using racquet his to make a shooting gesture at a line judge.
Bryan, playing alongside twin brother Bob, held his racquet upside down and pointed it towards the official after successfully challenging an incorrect call.
Chair umpire Mariana Alves issued a code violation against Mike Bryan for unsportsmanlike conduct.
The Bryan brothers, winners of 16 Grand Slam doubles titles as a team, went on to win the second-round match 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 against Roberto Carballes Baena of Spain and Argentina’s Federico Delbonis.
It is the highest fine received by a male player so far at this year’s tournament.
“I apologize for any offense I may have caused. We won the point and the gesture was meant to be playful,” Bryan said in a statement cited by the New York Times.
“But given the recent news and political climate I understand how my gesture could be viewed as insensitive. I promise that I will never do anything like this again.”
Seven people were killed in Texas on Saturday in the latest of several mass shootings to occur in the United States this year, reports AFP, NEW YORK.
