WimbleSpin, Day 10: Vandeweghe says Sharapova was unsportsmanlike

WimbleSpin harbors this regal fortnight's latest off-court news.

THE AFTERMATH CoCo Vandeweghe came out swinging against Maria Sharapova in their Wimbledon quarterfinal, ultimately succumbing 6-2 in the third set, but she wasn't done swinging afterward. The No. 47-ranked American told the press of what she perceived to be the 2004 Wimbledon winner's unsportsmanlike conduct, moving around when the big-serving Vandeweghe was in the midst of her motion on second serves.

"Toward the later end of the second set, I said if [chair umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore] has a problem speaking to Maria, if she's too scared to do it, I had no problem speaking to her." To note, Vandeweghe didn't follow through on that particular shot.

Sharapova took the high road in addressing the assembled media about Vandeweghe's backhanded strike. "It is what it is, and what she said, I'm not going to argue against her words."

It was easy to see that Vandweghe was already seething when the two met at net after a final errant backhand clipped the net tape and trickled wide on match point.

Vandweghe can look back fondly on this point, for what it's worth. (Answer: It's worth just one point.)

GOT YOUR BACK None other than Roger Federer came to Nick Kyrgios' defense after the latter was accused of tanking the second set's third game of his fourth-rounder against Richard Gasquet, against whom he saved nine match points and came back to win at the 2014 Championship.

'SEXIST' LOBS In the first seven days at this Wimbledon, nine of the 24 matches featured on Centre Court involved women's singles play. Caroline Wozniacki and pal Serena Williams were not okay with that. Wozniacki's verbal volley had it that "different" scheduling for men's matches versus women's was at hand, and Serena noted that there's a "huge conversation" to be had about the matter..

ICYMI  Victoria Azarenka doesn't much care what the Wimbledon crowd thinks of her grunting. She finds that a few audience members may have had a few too many Pimm's Cups, and she wants you to know that Rafael Nadal grunts louder than she does.

About her three-set match against Serena, Azarenka said, "I can't say I went out there and didn't play well. We just saw today why Serena is No. 1. I haven't seen her play like this, honestly, even in the last matches before that." Azarenka, who will shoot up the rankings from No. 24 in light of her quarterfinal appearance in London, is now 3-17 against Serena in her career, including a decisive 0-10 record at major tournaments.

WHAT'S EATING GILBERT'S GRAPE Brad Gilbert and Voya Financial have teamed up on a series of quirky videos aimed at Wimbledon and, later, U.S. Open audiences this year. (Voya sponsors ESPN's coverage out of SW19 and Flushing this year.) The "Gilbert's Glossary" clips include the inimitable BG's definitions of the "can opener," "love," "in the kitchen," and more tennis terms. The Spin's favorite: episode 6, his take on "tweener."

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