Venus Williams handed £1950 fine for media conference no-show
Thursday 28 May 2015 10:51, UK
Venus Williams has been handed a $3000 (£1950) fine for skipping a news conference following her first-round defeat at the French Open.
Williams, who was seeded 15th at Roland Garros, lost 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 to fellow American Sloane Stephens, and has now failed to reach the quarter-finals in Paris since 2006.
The 34-year-old has been fined by the tournament organisers after she failed to show up to her mandatory media debrief and instead chose to issue a short statement.
"When you arrive at any tournament you hope you will have a chance to work your way into the event, but I didn't have that opportunity," Williams said. "She just played better than me today."
It was not the first time Williams has been penalised for missing media duties after she and her sister Serena were fined $4000 (£2600) each following a Wimbledon doubles match in 2010.
