Tennis Player Learns His Idol is a Meanie

Potito Starace had kind of a rough out outing at the Buenos Aires Open. The tennis player, currently ranked No. 35 in the world, claim he was thisclose to bashing his racket into the teeth of a heckling fan.

The would-be recipient of such racquet-bashing? Argentinian soccer player Diego Maradona—one of Starace’s fave athletes. (Um, until now. . .)

Maradona, a controversial figure who’s been plagued by drug problems in the past, was at the quarterfinal match to root on fellow countrymen and world No. 11 David Nalbandian. The Argentinian beat Starace 4-6, 7-6, 6-4. In a chat with an Italian radio station, Starace said:

“Maradona insulted me as soon as the match began . . . [he] made me lose my head, I went to the umpire and I said to him: ‘Either you throw him out or I’ll go bash a racket in his teeth.’”

But neither teeth assaults nor a Maradona extraction took place.  

Incidentally, Starace was fined $30K and suspended for six weeks—along with compatriot Daniele Bracchali—for betting on tennis matches, a practice the two players ceased once they “learned it was against the rules.” (Are we alone in thinking it’s usually better to check on that beforehand?)