American doubles star Mike Bryan fined $10,000 for rifle gesture toward US Open official
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}American tennis player Mike Bryan was fined $10,000 for pointing his racket like a rifle at an official at the U.S. Open in New York City on Saturday.
Bryan’s gesture was caught on camera and came after several people were killed and more than a dozen were wounded in a shooting rampage in Texas. Bryan was in the middle of a doubles match with his brother Bob when he performed the gesture with his racket.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The 41-year-old appeared to be frustrated when he pretended to “shoot” the official. He did the move after a challenge overturned a call that initially didn’t favor him and his brother.
The U.S. Tennis Association then fined Bryan $10,000 for the move.
“We thought it warranted that amount,” U.S. Tennis Association spokesman Brendan McIntyre said in a statement.
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Bryan later apologized for the move and said in a statement it was meant to be “playful.”
“We won the point and the gesture was meant to be playful,” he said. “But given the recent news and political climate I understand how my gesture could be viewed as insensitive. I promise that I will never do anything like this again.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Mike Bryan, left, returns a shot as his brother Bob Bryan, looks on during a first round doubles match against Hubert Hurkacz, of Poland, and Vasek Pospisil, of Canada, at the US Open tennis championships Friday, Aug. 30, 2019, in New York. (AP)
The Bryans won the match 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.
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Mike Bryan and Jack Sock won the U.S. Open doubles tournament last year.