5 worst temper tantrums on the tennis court

Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny hit himself in the head with a racquet in anger Some tennis players are the pinnacle of calm. With their composed behaviour on and off-court, they become model citizens in sport and outside of it.And then you have the ones who become notorious for their behaviour on court. Point doesnât go your way? Flummoxed by your competitorâs shot? On the losing side of the net? Some players react to that with rage, breaking racquets, threatening umpires and storming off court.Here are 5 times raging tennis players sent both balls and tempers flying across court:

#5 Serena Williams loses her cool at a lineswoman, US Open 2009

She's now World No. 1 again after a dominant 2014 and 2015, seasons which saw her steamroll nearly every opponent in her path. Serena Williams is one of the greatest in the game, and has the records to show for it.

With 21 Grand Slams in the singles, 13 in the doubles and 2 in the mixed doubles, there really is nothing Serena cannot play – and it is not without reason that she even has a record – the Serena Slam – named after her.

Williams has never been a shrinking violet, and is known for being one of the few players to unabashedly speak their minds regardless of the situation. She was also known for a significant period of time for her incendiary temper, which she appears to have calmed somewhat in recent years.

Prevented from a 2015 Calendar Slam by Flavia Pennetta at the US Open and this year by Germany’s Angelique Kerber, in 2009, Williams had been reigning champion at the US Open. As the 2^nd seed at that tournament behind former No. 1 Dinara Safina, Serena had a relatively easy route to the semi-finals, where she was up against former champion Kim Clijsters.

Despite having won the women’s singles at Flushing Meadows in 2005, Clijsters was playing the tournament in 2009 unseeded and as a wildcard.

Clijsters had already won the first set 6-4, and was leading Williams 6-5 in the much-closer second. Serena was trailing 15-30 when the umpire called a foot fault, with the American now down match point.

And it was at this moment that an incensed Williams unleashed a volley of verbal abuse at the lineswoman who made the call, with the entire melee leading to Williams being handed a point penalty – at match point, giving Clijsters the win instantly.

Although it is unclear what exactly Williams said, microphones on court later caught her saying “I never said I would kill you!” to the lineswoman.

Williams spoke sarcastically of the incident following the tournament as well, saying in an interview “"All year, I've never been foot-faulted and then suddenly in this tournament they keep calling foot faults," she said. "I haven't been called for a foot fault all year until I got to New York, so maybe when I come to this tournament I have to step two feet back."

#4 Marcos Baghdatis: Australian Open 2012

Marcos Baghdatis is a former runner-up at the Australian Open, having lost the title in 2006 to Roger Federer. The kicker then had been that Baghdatis was unseeded at the tournament, but managed to steamroll past a series of top 10 players in quick succession to progress to the finals of the Grand Slam that year.

He had even tested the Swiss, scalping the first set off him despite Federer being top seeded at the tournament after reigning champion Marat Safin pulled out with an injury.

In 2012, Baghdatis was playing 21^st seed Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland in the second round of the tournament. The then-relatively unknown Wawrinka had already won the first two sets of the match, with the Cypriot scrambling to take the third set by a slim margin.

After Wawrinka defeated him 7-6, 6-4, 5-7, 6-1, Baghdatis was so incensed that he smashed not one but four racquets in quick succession, pulling one after the other out of his kit bag.

He did not even bother to take the plastic off the last one.

#3 Mikhail Youzhny hits himself, Sony Ericsson Open

Former Russian No. 1 Mikhail Youzhny is a two-time Davis Cup winner. Despite not finding as much success at Grand Slams, Youzhny is known for his skill as much as he is his temper.

His behaviour on court at the Miami Masters of 2008 did nothing to dispel that belief. Playing Spain’s Nicolas Almagro in the third round of the tournament, the Russian lost a point – and to say he took it badly would be an understatement.

Instead of lashing out at others on the court – line judges, chair umpires, opponents or ball children as many other tennis players have done, Youzhny lashed out at himself. He smashed his racket repeatedly on his own head, so forcefully that he ended up drawing blood.

The kicker? Youzhny would end up winning that match – 7-6 (6-4) 3-6 7-6 (6-4).

#2 David Nalbandian kicks a line judge, Queens

Former World No. 3 David Nalbandian was facing off against Croat ace Marin Cilic for the title at the Aegon Championships at the Queen’s Club, London in 2012. One of the oldest, most prestigious tournaments on the ATP circuit, Queens has seen champions in Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg and John McEnroe – who was even stripped of his membership at one point for swearing.

Nalbandian is one of a number of players notorious for his temper. Earlier that same year, Nalbandian got in trouble following the Australian Open after he was incensed following a drug test, when he threw water over a presiding doctor.

This time, the Argentine, having beat Cilic in the first set on a tiebreak, was trailing the Croat 3-4 in the second. It was not a big margin by any means, and could easily have been caught up. But Nalbandian, missing a forehand off Cilic, was incensed and unable to deal with the situation, kicking an advertising board on the side of the court and, as a result, chair umpire Andrew McDougall.

The kick was hard enough that McDougall’s leg began to bleed; Nalbandian was immediately disqualified.

#1 \"You cannot be serious!\": John McEnroe, Wimbledon 1981

Any list of tempers and on-court outbursts is incomplete without John McEnroe. The American former No. 1 is known more for his incendiary temper than his prodigious tennis skill, and he has gone down in tennis history as perhaps the angriest player of all time.

The 7-time Grand Slam winner has had several iconic losses of temper, but perhaps his most famous occured at the Championships in 1981. 2nd seed John McEnroe, who would eventually go on to win the tournament, was playing compatriot Tom Gullikson, also the one-time coach of Pete Sampras, in the first round of the tournament.

The presiding chair umpire called McEnroe’s shot out, a call that did not sit well with the ace.. at all. It was then that McEnroe uttered his now famous line “you cannot be serious, man!”

“That ball was ON THE LINE,” he yelled. “Chalk flew up!”

Although analysts have later speculated that McEnroe was in fact correct, the chair umpire called the point against him for unsportsmanlike behaviour.

McEnroe had a sense of humour about the whole incident, later going on to parody it in an advertisement. Novak Djokovic would make light of it on court.

But it has gone down in history as one of tennis – and McEnroe’s biggest blowups.