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Wimbledon: Sharapova accused of unsporting behaviour

Last updated on: July 08, 2015 09:31 IST

“What I experienced, what I felt from her moving around in between my serving motion was not, I don't think, sportsmanlike, in my opinion,” American Coco Vandeweghe claimed after her quarter-final loss

Russia's Maria Sharapova reacts during her Wimbledon quarter-final match against USA's Coco Vandeweghe on Tuesday

Russia's Maria Sharapova reacts during her Wimbledon quarter-final match against USA's Coco Vandeweghe on Tuesday. Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

American Coco Vandeweghe accused Russia's Maria Sharapova of unsporting behaviour on Tuesday after going out to the Russian in the Wimbledon quarter-finals.

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The only unseeded player in the last eight, Vandeweghe complained to the chair umpire about Sharapova's movements during the American's second serve in the Centre Court clash.

"What I experienced, what I felt from her moving around in between my serving motion was not, I don't think, sportsmanlike, in my opinion," she told reporters.

"I try to play as fair as I can.

"When I felt like it wasn't being reciprocated, that's when I spoke with the umpire for her to deal with," she said, adding that the official had disagreed and taken no action.

"Towards the latter end of the second set, I said if she has a problem speaking to Maria, if she's too scared to do it, I had no problem speaking to her," said Vandeweghe.

Coco Vandeweghe reacts during quarter-final match against Maria Sharapova

Coco Vandeweghe reacts during quarter-final match against Maria Sharapova. Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Asked if she felt the umpire was "too scared" to talk to the fourth seed, who won the match 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-2, she replied: "Well, I didn't hear anything said."

Asked also whether she believed some umpires struggled to speak to the "big name players" like Sharapova, she said: "You'd have to ask them. I can't speak on their behalf."

Sharapova, the 2004 Wimbledon champion as a 17-year-old, brushed off the accusations, saying did not hear any complaints and did not feel she had done anything different to usual.

"I mean, it is what it is. What she said, I'm not going to argue against her words," declared the Russian.

Source: REUTERS
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