Russian tennis player Andrey Rublev has been criticized for his behavior at the French Open after nearly injuring a sweeper on the court with a ball that hit him angrily after a loss of seven.
The seventh seed unexpectedly dropped the first set of his first-round clash against South Korean Kwon Soon-woo, losing 6-7 (5) in a tiebreaker.
Frustrated, the 24-year-old broke a ball that bounced off his chair and nearly lost a sweeper on the nearby court.
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The ball reached a few inches from hitting the volunteer in the head, with the force of the ball pulling his hat.
Rublev’s outburst was immediately heard on social media, drawing many parallels with Novak Djokovic’s disqualification from the 2020 U.S. Open after hitting a line judge in the throat with a ball after losing a party.
But unlike Djokovic, Rublev simply received a code violation and was allowed to continue the match, which he ended up winning 6-7 (5) 6-3 6-2 6-4.
“I lost my mind for a moment and of course I regret what I did,” Rublev said later.
“It is unacceptable to hit the ball as I hit it.
“Better if you just hit the racket in the seat, because the ball can hit [someone]. That’s when the problem comes.
“This is not professional on my part and I hope he never does it again.”
Novak Djokovic expressed concern about the line-up he hit unintentionally with a tennis ball, but it was not enough to prevent him from being disqualified. (AFP: Al Bello)
Elsewhere at Roland Garros, compatriot Daniil Medvedev advanced to the second round after defeating Facundo Bagnis 6-2 6-2 6-2, while world number eight Casper Ruud put a quick end to the career of French favorite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who announced that the French Open would be the last tournament of his career.
But these matches were overshadowed by one of the biggest upsets of the first round, with world number 15 Denis Shapovalov losing to Danish teenager Holger Rune 6-3 6-1 6-4 7-6 ( 7-4).
“I didn’t really show up today, so it’s a little difficult,” Shapovalov said.
“Of course Holger is playing great tennis. He won his first title, he is pushing some of the best.
“So it doesn’t take anything away from him, but I think against most players today, he wouldn’t come out the winner.”