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Meeting at the net
Published
7:33 AM EDT, Mon June 30, 2014
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Meeting at the net —
Sabine Lisicki, left, beat Agnieszka Radwanska last year to reach the Wimbledon final. But there was almost as much discussion about the handshake as the match itself. It's not the only contentious handshake in tennis history ...
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Meeting at the net —
There was a rapid, no-look handshake between Serena Williams, left, and Justine Henin at the French Open in 2003. Henin won the match after a controversial incident on Williams' serve in the third set of the semifinal.
Clive Mason/Getty Images
Meeting at the net —
Sometimes there's no shake at all. That's the hand of Virginie Razzano. Marion Bartoli refused to shake it in a match in England in 2009. Razzano had earlier said that Bartoli -- who would win Wimbledon later in her career -- played up injuries to help her get an edge on opponents. Last year, there was another no handshake between French players. That featured Michael Llodra and Benoit Paire.
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Janko Tipsarevic, left, and Radek Stepanek were all smiles prior to their encounter in the Davis Cup in 2012. But after their singles match, Tipsarevic claimed Stepanek gave him the middle finger during the handshake.
STR/AFP/Getty Images
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Tomas Berdych, Stepanek's fellow Czech, was loudly booed in Melbourne in 2012. He refused to shake hands with Nicolas Almagro after he thought the Spaniard hit a ball straight at him on purpose.
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Of course in the overwhelming majority of cases players do shake hands at the net -- and without any problems.
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Meeting at the net —
This is how Roger Federer, left, and Rafael Nadal met at the net after the 2008 Wimbledon final, widely regarded as one of the best matches -- if not the best -- in tennis history.
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Meeting at the net —
The actual type of handshake has evolved over the years, too. Here's the traditional shake offered up by John McEnroe, left, and Jimmy Connors at Wimbledon in 1977.
Roger Jackson/Central Press/Getty Images
Meeting at the net —
Nowadays players from both tours opt for the so-called arm wrestle handshake, considered a little warmer than the traditional shake.
JEAN-SEBASTIEN EVRARD/AFP/Getty Images
Meeting at the net —
Some players, especially Novak Djokovic, like to hug at the net. He exchanged an embrace with Stanislas Wawrinka, face shown, at this year's Australian Open after he lost. Djokovic once also swapped shirts, a la football, with Ivan Ljubicic.