Nicolas Kiefer has been fined $1,000 for verbal abuse in his Australian Open quarter-final against Sebastien Grosjean but escaped punishment for throwing his racquet at him.
Grosjean was furious that the fiery German hurled his racquet
over the net as the French star was attempting a volley on a crucial point in their five-set thriller on Wednesday.
He missed and the point went to Kiefer. Tennis authorities said today the umpire ruled it hadn't interfered with play and so no further action was necessary.
Kiefer, who later apologised, has been the worst offender at the Australian Open, being fined a total of $6,000 so far for unsportsmanlike conduct and obscenities.
Now in his first grand slam semi-final, the 21st seed takes on world number one Roger Federer on Friday for a place in Sunday's final.
