Athlete fined $15,000 for spitting at hecklers

Wimbledon - Tennis player Victor Hanescu was fined $15,000 by Wimbledon officials following an ugly incident in his match Friday against Daniel Brands.

During his match Friday, Victor Hanescu of Romania, the 38th-ranked player in the world, forfeited his third-round match against Germany's Daniel Brands after spitting and yelling obscenities at hecklers. The $15,000 fine Hanescu received as a result of this incident comes in two halfs. One half for unsportsmanlike conduct and the other for not giving his best efforts. The incident took place in the fifth set of his match. Shortly afterward, Hanescu, intentionally foot-faulted his way into a series of double faults. At the end of the game, Hanescu shook hands with his opponent and quit the match.

Officials at the All England club issued a release on Friday saying that the Romanian had retired from the match "due to a leg injury. The Referee's Office is reviewing further information from this match.''

Hanescu, however, isn't know to be a volatile player and did seem to hurt his leg. The hecklers that caused Hanescu to erupt, and were drinking, started calling him "weak," and it clearly disturbed his play. At one point, as Hanescu tossed the ball for a serve, a heckler yelled "weak" again. Hanescu has 10 days to appeal the fine. And the Grand Slam Administrator has the power to add to his fine, but at this point hasn't decided whether to continue to investigate.