Patten gets biggest Wimbledon fine of week for verbal abuse

Defending men's doubles champion Henry Patten has accused Wimbledon of not acting "fairly" after he was handed the biggest fine of these Championships for verbal abuse.

Briton Patten, who won the title last year alongside Finnish partner Harri Heliovaara, says he will appeal after being fined more than £9,000 over an incident that took place at an off-site practice court before the tournament began.

On Monday, the All England Club published a list of fines issued to players over the first week of the Championships.

Patten, 29, said his appeal is because of "inaccuracies and procedural failures in the process" and that he is "disappointed" that the information was published while the appeal process is ongoing.

"At this stage I will merely say that I do not believe that there has been a full or proper investigation, nor has Wimbledon acted reasonably or fairly with due process," he said.

"I am disappointed that as the defending men's doubles champion that I am having to address this matter at this point rather than concentrating on playing tennis."

The All England Club said it "wouldn't be appropriate" for it to comment on the matter as it is "in the hands of the Grand Slam supervisors".

Patten and Heliovaara, who triumphed at the Australian Open earlier this year, are through to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon after third-round opponents Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Jordan Thompson withdrew.