"I have always been an Avenger in my heart, maybe I’m super strong" - When Serena Williams was fined $10,000 for damaging Wimbledon court

Serena Williams once copped a whopping $10,000 fine for damaging a court at the Wimbledon Championships. The American later humorously explained how she caused enough damage to warrant such a hefty fine.

Williams entered the 2019 edition of the Wimbledon Championships as the 11th seed, on the hunt for her eighth title at the grasscourt Major. However, her campaign sparked controversy even before it began, as she incurred a significant fine a day before her tournament opener.

Ahead of her opening match against Giulia Gatto-Monticone, Serena Williams damaged a practice court at SW19 during a training session. The All England Club imposed a $10,000 fine on the American for the incident.

Speaking to the press after her quarterfinal win over Alison Riske-Amritraj, the seven-time Wimbledon champion asserted that she hadn't paid any mind to the fine.

"I haven’t really thought about it, to be honest. I just threw my racquet. I got fined," she said.

When asked how she managed to cause $10,000 worth of damage, Williams humorously suggested that she might be "super strong" and had underestimated her own power.

"I mean, I guess if you could tell me, I would appreciate it. I mean, I have always been an Avenger in my heart. Maybe I’m super strong, I don’t know."

Serena Williams has incurred a $10,000 fine at the Wimbledon Championships on a previous occasion as well. Following her second-round win over Christina McHale at the 2016 edition, Williams was fined for unsportsmanlike conduct after repeatedly smashing her racquet against the grass upon losing the opening set.

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How Serena Williams fared at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships

Although Serena Williams' campaign at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships got off to an unfortunate start with the $10,000 fine, she enjoyed great success at the grasscourt Major.

Simona Halep defeated the American in the Wimbledon 2019 final

The American made a dominant start to her campaign, beating Giulia Gatto-Monticone 6-2, 7-5. She then edged past Kaja Juvan 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 and defeated Julia Gorges 6-3, 6-4 to book her place in the fourth round.

After triumphing over Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2, 6-2, Williams claimed a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win over Alison Riske-Amritraj. She continued her commanding run against Barbora Strykova in the semifinals, beating the Czech 6-1, 6-2.

With the opportunity to win her 24th Grand Slam title and eighth Wimbledon title on the line, Serena Williams took on seventh seed Simona Halep in a blockbuster final.

Halep dashed Williams' hopes with a clinical performance in the final, securing a 6-2, 6-2 win in just 56 minutes to clinch her second Grand Slam title.