Tennis
Tennis star escapes French Open disqualification despite smashing ball at fan
Young French talent Terence Atmane was making his French Open debut at Roland Garros when he was involved in an incident in his first round game against Sebastian Ofner
Terence Atmane’s French Open bow was almost over as soon as it began, when the youngster hit a ball into the crowd in frustration.
Atmane, who received a wildcard to play at Roland Garros for the first time in his career, was drawn against Austria’s Sebastien Ofner in the first round of the tennis grand slam. He won the first two sets, but frustration soon grew as he let his opponent back into the match.
Things boiled over when, during an Ofner service game in the fourth set, French talent Atmane smashed the ball in the direction of a spectator. Officials were seen attending to the woman in the crowd, who appeared to have been hit on the leg, before having words with Atmane.
Eventually, it was decided that a warning was enough punishment for the 22-year-old. This surprised some of those following along on social media… not to mention his opponent.
“For me, it was a bit surprising, because if you do something like that on a small court, you have to be punished, you know?” Ofner said, as reported by AP. “Because it’s not like you hit the ball normally. It was full power. The ball was so fast. Straight in the crowd. There were people disqualified for less.
“The referee said, ‘Oh, yeah, I was talking with the lady. The lady said at the beginning it was hurting but now it’s fine, and everything was OK. She saw the ball coming. So it’s not enough for disqualification.’
“I think if he would see how it was, maybe he would decide different. A little bit more unlucky and it’s going directly in the face. And then something can happen (like) a broken nose or whatever.”
Should Terence Atmane have been disqualified? Have your say in the comments section
The incident comes one year after Miyu Kato was disqualified for hitting a ball girl with a stray shot at the same tournament. Kato, who was competing in the women’s doubles alongside Aldila Sutjiadi, inadvertently left the girl in tears.
Fans on social media were quick to point out the parallels with that incident, as well as a moment at the 2020 US Open when Novak Djokovic was disqualified after hitting a line umpire with the ball. “Where were they for Kato last year and Djokovic at the US Open,” wrote one, while another said “He’s lucky his last name is not Djokovic”.
Despite the let-off, Atmane was still beaten 6-3, 6-4, 6-7, 2-6, 5-7. Ofner progresses to the second round, where he will take on the winner of the first-round clash between qualifier Gustavo Heide and 20th seed Sebastian Baez.
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