There may be a record Aus $12.34 million up for grabs at the current Open championships in Melbourne, but the organisers have been getting a little bit of that back in fines this week. On Wednesday, Russian Davis Cup player Marat Safin was fined $3,000 for the "lack of effort" in his opening round loss to Grant Stafford of South Africa - the first ever player to fall foul of the new Grand Slam regulation.

It states that "a player shall use his best efforts to win a match", yet Safin was warned four times by the umpire for his obvious lack on interest. The last straw came when Safin caught a Stafford serve in his hand rather than attempt a return.

Elsewhere, Ukrainian Andrei Medvedev was docked $1,500 for an audible obscenity, while Croatia's Goran Ivanisevic and South African Wayne Ferreira were each penalised $750 for racquet abuse. However, teenage sensation Jenena Dokic has appealed her fine of $3,000 for turning up four hours late for a press conference.