Wimbledon's prize money row "has intensified after two of the eight players who withdrew injured from singles matches re-entered as participants in the doubles tournament," according to Sabur & Sawer of the London TELEGRAPH. By participating in doubles matches, the players will be eligible to claim £5,375 ($6,970) in prize money in addition to their £35,000 ($45,400) men's singles first round winnings, "even if they lose." The row began on Tuesday after Roger Federer "questioned rules which meant that players who started matches but then withdrew were still entitled to collect £35,000." Two successive matches on Centre Court were "cut short," leading to "accusations that some of the players knew they would not be able to complete their games but had started in order to pick up their cheques." On Wednesday, Feliciano López, who was one of the eight who withdrew from the singles draw, played in the doubles tournament, losing his match but earning £10,750 ($13,945), "which he will split with his partner." Discussing the withdrawals, British player Johanna Konta suggested the rules on prize money "may have to change," as she said that "players had a responsibility to their fans." Heather Watson, who went through to the second round of the women's singles on Wednesday, said, "I can't speak for anybody else, but if my leg was broken, I'd be crawling to the next ball. That's just me, though" (TELEGRAPH, 7/5).
ISIS THREATS: In London, Luke Brown reported a pro-ISIS channel on instant messaging service Telegram called for a Manchester-style "lone wolf attack" to be carried out at Wimbledon, SITE Intelligence Group claimed. The security service said that a pro-ISIS channel "has been calling for attackers to target The Wimbledon Championships," which began on Monday and culminate in the men's final on July 16. SITE said that it had "monitored a map of the venue being distributed on the channel, along with messages calling on fundamentalists to target the tennis tournament." The channel, called "Lone Mujahid," also called on attackers to take inspiration from the Manchester attack (INDEPENDENT, 7/6).
LOOSE CHANGE: Also in London, Jacob Steinberg reported Daniil Medvedev, the young Russian who knocked out Stan Wawrinka, is "facing the prospect of heavy punishment" after being forced to deny that he "made an accusation of bias when he threw money at the umpire's chair following the conclusion of his ill-tempered second-round exit." Two days after "delighting Centre Court with a nerveless win" over Wawrinka, the 21-year-old "found himself in hot water" when he "reacted angrily to a series of controversial calls" during his defeat to Belgium's Ruben Bemelmans, appeared to ask the court supervisor to remove Mariana Alves as umpire late in the fifth set, then "emptied his wallet of loose change moments after losing." He was "at a loss to explain why he threw money" at Alves' chair. Medvedev said, "I was just frustrated, so it has no meaning. I haven't thought about it" (GUARDIAN, 7/5).
