Swiss tennis star Roger Federer has been fined $3,000 (CHF2,920) for swearing during his Australian Open quarter-final victory over American Tennys Sandgren.
The Swiss was handed a code violation for uttering an audible obscenity in the third set of Tuesday's match. The line judge reported Federer to Serbian umpire Marijana Veljovic.
In a post-match news conference, Federer clarified that he had sworn in a "mix" of languages and expressed frustration over how the on-court warning was issued.
"Clearly she speaks mixed,” the winner of 20 grand slam titles told reporters. “Didn't know that. Next time I got to check the [language skills of the] lines-people.”
He added: "Honestly, to be frustrated at one point... I think it's normal. I found it a bit tough. It's not like I'm known to throw around words and whatever. It's not like the whole stadium heard it either."
Federer saved seven match points against Sandgren to win in five sets. He will now face defending champion Novak Djokovic.
Reuters-swissinfo.ch/ds
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