11 Tennis Shockers Through the Years
Tennis is not a sport immune to shock and scandal.
Aug. 27, 2013— -- intro: Tennis is not a sport immune to shock and scandal, particularly after revelations that the infamous 1973 "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match was rigged. Drug use, sex change, stabbings and wardrobe malfunctions have plagued the game for a half century. Here's a titillating sampling:
quicklist: 1category: Top 11 Tennis Shockerstitle: 2013: Bobby Riggs vs Billie Jean King url: text: A new report suggests that the 1973 "Battle of the Sexes" match between feminist Billie Jean King and former Grand Slam champion Bobby Riggs was--so to speak--rigged. More than 30,000 fans packed the Houston Astrodome to see if King, 29, at the time, could beat her 55-year-old male opponent. Her win gave women's tennis a huge boost in terms of respect and gender equality, but an ESPN "Outside the Lines" report says the outcome may have been fixed because Riggs owed mobsters more than $100,000 and threw the match to erase the debt. King, now 69, called the story "ridiculous."
The Match Maker:Bobby Riggs, The Mafia and The Battle of the Sexes
media: 20084647
quicklist: 2
category: Top 11 Tennis Shockerstitle: 2010 - Jennifer Capriati Overdoses
text: Tennis champ Jennifer Capriati, then 34, checked in to a South Florida hospital after an accidental overdose of a prescription drug that had been prescribed by her doctor. The former top-ranked women's tennis player in the world, who won 14 career titles including three Grand Slams, and a gold medal at the 1992 Olympics, had a history of drug problems and entered drug and alcohol rehabilitation.
Jennifer Capriati hospitalized.
media: 20084438
quicklist: 3category: Top 11 Tennis Shockerstitle: 2009 - Andre Agassi Used Crystal Methtext: In an autobiography, Grand Slam champ Andre Agassi admits that he used crystal meth to deal with the pressures of the sport. He failed a drug test in 1997, but the results were thrown out after he lied and said he "unwittingly" took the drug after he drank a "spiked" soda. The International Tennis Federation said it was "surprised and disappointed" by the revelations. Agassi, who retired in 2006, is married to tennis star Steffi Graf and has two children.
Andre Agassi explains why he wrote his book.
media: 20083886
quicklist: 4category: Top 11 Tennis Shockerstitle: 2009 - Serena Williams: Racket Abusetext: In a U.S. Open semifinal match against Kim Clijsters, Serena Williams received a warning for racket abuse after losing in the first set. Then, on the second serve of the second set, she received a foot fault. The tennis powerhouse swore at the linewoman and received a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. The point penalty advanced Clijsters to the finals.
media: 20083704
quicklist: 5category: Top 11 Tennis Shockerstitle: 2009 - Venus Williams Shakes Up the Courttext: Tennis powerhouse Venus Williams, sister to Serena, raised eyebrows over a risqué outfit of flesh-colored underwear and a short, black, lacy dress that looked like lingerie. Many found her attire shocking.
media: 20083876
quicklist: 6category: Top 11 Tennis Shockerstitle: 2007 - Martina Hingis Tests Positive for Cocaine
text: Five-time Grand Slam champ Martina Hingis reveals at age 27 that she tested positive for cocaine at Wimbledon and will retire for a second time rather than fight what she called a "horrendous" accusation. "I have never taken drugs," the Swiss player maintains. She tested positive on the day she lost in straight sets to Laura Granville of the United States in the third round at Wimbledon.
Hingis claims innocence after positive test for cocaine.
media: 20083670
quicklist: 7category: Top 11 Tennis Shockerstitle: 2000 - Boris Becker has Sex in Broom Closet text: German tennis star Boris Becker created scandal when he had sex with married athlete Angela Ermakova in the broom closet of a Japanese restaurant in London. Ermakova become pregnant with a daughter, who was born in 2000. DNA testing revealed the girl was Becker's and led to a divorce from his wife. They had two children at the time.
media: 20083584
quicklist: 8category: Top 11 Tennis Shockerstitle: 1993 - Arthur Ashe Dies of AIDStext: The only African-American man to win Wimbledon and the United States and Australian Opens, Arthur Ashe used the spotlight to fight discrimination. In 1992, he revealed he had HIV/AIDS and made a speech on the floor of the United Nations on World AIDS Day. It was believed the champ contracted AIDS through a tainted blood transfusion during a second round of heart-bypass surgery in 1983. He died of complications of the disease at age 49.
media: 20083504
quicklist: 9category: Top 11 Tennis Shockerstitle: 1993 - Monica Seles Stabbed during Matchtext: Number one in the world at the time, Monica Seles was stabbed in the back during the quarter-finals in Hamburg, Germany. The 19-year-old American suffered a wound a half-inch deep, but her injuries were not life-threatening. Speculation was that the attack was politically motivated as conflict raged in Yugoslavia because of the star's Serbian roots. Others suggested her attacker was a fan of her chief rival, German tennis star Steffi Graf.
media: 20083954
quicklist: 10category: Top 11 Tennis Shockerstitle: 1981 - John McEnroe Goes Ballistic on Courttext: Tennis player John McEnroe was known for his quick temper. But in his most famous outburst, he was fined for calling umpire Ted James, "the pits of the world" and swearing at referee Fred Hoyles. His most famous remark became, "you cannot be serious," which he used throughout his career when upset with the umpires.
media: 20083454
quicklist: 11category: Top 11 Tennis Shockerstitle:1975 - Renee Richards Reveals Sex Changetext: Standout tennis player Dr. Richard Raskind announced he would live as Dr. Renee Richards and sought sex reassignment surgery. After being barred from the 1976 U.S. Open, Richards sued the United States Tennis Association to let her play without chromosomal testing. She won and was allowed into the 1977 U.S. Open.
Renee Richards regrets her sex change operation.
media: 20084075