"Point penalty for 16 year old child? Have some shame!" - Fans divided as Mirra Andreeva loses Wimbledon 4R to Madison Keys in controversial fashion

Tennis fans were divided following the chair umpire’s controversial decision to hand Mirra Andreeva a point penalty during the final moments of her Wimbledon clash against Madison Keys.

On Monday, July 10, Keys took on rising star Andreeva in the fourth round of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships. The 16-year-old Russian got off to a commanding start as she snatched the opener 6-3 despite losing her opening service game. Andreeva also led 4-1 in the second set, and looked poised to make her maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal on her Wimbledon debut.

Keys, however, regained control over her game and soon leveled the score. She then clinched the second set in the tiebreak and forced a decider.

The American broke Mirra Andreeva in the second game of the third set and took a 3-0 lead. She held her serve throughout the decider and challenged the teenage opponent in the final game as she served to stay in the match 2-5 down.

At 40-40 in the final game, Mirra Andreeva slipped and toppled over after losing a point, throwing her racquet in the process. In response, the chair umpire slapped her with a point penalty. The 16-year-old had already received one warning earlier for racquet abuse.

Andreeva was not impressed with the umpire's decision, and proceeded to argue about it.

“I didn’t throw the racquet. I slid and I fell. No. It’s wrong decision. Do you understand what you’re doing? I didn’t throw the racquet! I slipped! Yes! I did slip!” Andreeva said.

The umpire did not budge though, and Keys was thus granted a match point, which she failed to capitalize on. However, the American eventually closed out the encounter 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2.

After the conclusion of the match, Mirra Andreeva refused to shake the umpire’s hand.

Tennis fans were divided over the chair umpire’s controversial call in the crucial moment of the match. Many called the decision ‘unfair’ and agreed with Andreeva’s account of the incident.

“Harsh. There was a little bit frustration there, but it’s not like she broke her racket, and she did lose a balance and was going to drop the racket anyway. Not to mention the score, to just give a MP to the opponent for this... Nah. Umpires should have more understanding,” one fan said.

"She absolutely threw her racket into the ground. That was no 'drop'!" another fan opined.

Others, however, felt the point penalty was warranted, seeing as she had already received a first warning prior to the incident. Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:

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Mirra Andreeva rises to new career-high ranking following Wimbledon campaign

Andreeva at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships

Mirra Andreeva has had a meteoric rise since turning pro in 2022. After finishing as the 2023 girls’ singles Australian Open runner-up, she won two ITF tournaments and received a wildcard to contest the 2023 Madrid Open.

Ranked No. 194 at the time, Andreeva staged an impressive run in the Spanish capital, making the Round of 16. She eventually bowed out against World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka.

The teenager then battled her way through the qualifiers to reach the third round of the French Open, on her Grand Slam debut. She was knocked out by 2022 finalist Coco Gauff.

At the ongoing Wimbledon Championships, Mirra Andreeva similarly entered the main draw as a qualifier. Thanks to her fourth-round appearance at the event, the Russian is set to make her top 100 debut. She currently stands at a career-high live ranking of World No. 64.