Venus Williams hit with record $5000 fine for press conference no-show following defeat by Johanna Konta

Williams did not attend her mandatory press conference after Tuesday's defeat and has been fined $5,000 as a result

Venus Williams has been fined $5,000 for failing to attend a post-match press conference (Getty Images)

Venus Williams has been fined 5,000 US dollars for shirking post-match press duties following her Australian Open first-round defeat to Britain's Johanna Konta.

The tournament fine is Williams' second in a year and the biggest ever handed to a woman for skipping press obligations at a grand slam.

The seven-time major champion was fined 3,000 for the same offence at last year's French Open after she lost to fellow American Sloane Stephens.

Konta, ranked 47th in the world, inflicted what was only Williams' eighth first-round exit in 62 grand slam appearances. The Briton won 6-4 6-2 in Rod Laver Arena.

All players are required to attend press conferences after grand slam and tour-sanctioned matches, with the maximum penalty for not doing so set at 20,000.

Williams' fine will be taken out of the 34,500 Australian dollars she earns for playing in the first round at Melbourne Park and is the second largest for a media infringement since Marat Safin was hit with a 10,000 US dollars penalty at the 2001 French Open.

Konta, who had previously lost to Williams in Wuhan last year, will play China's Sasai Zheng in the second round on Tuesday.

PA