Terence Atmane only received a warning for ripping a ball into the crowd during the First Round of the French Open. The decision to let him play on has sparked controversy across the tennis community.
Some people, including his opponent, believe that the behavior should have been disqualified.
It ultimately came down to the umpire and supervisor’s decision. They chose not to remove him from the full five-set contest.
Fortunately, the decision ultimately did not prove costly. Sebastian Ofner defeated Atmane 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2, 7-5 and advanced to the Second Round. He did not agree with the ruling despite the final result.
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?
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.
— Sebastian Ofner
When asked if he received an explanation for the lack of disqualification, Ofner said that
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 okay. 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.
— Sebastian Ofner
The incident took place during the fourth set on Court 12. Atmante hit a return off Ofner’s serve long.
As the ball returned back to him, he unleashed a reckless forehand into the crowd.
inexplicable que no lo descalifiquen jajaja pic.twitter.com/13yiFhuymZ
— Tommy (@SebteGG) May 26, 2024
The ball hit a woman directly in the head. Ofner immediately called for his opponent to be disqualified.
It's 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐤𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟𝐟 at Roland-Garros!
— Eurosport (@eurosport) May 26, 2024
Terence Atmane hits a spectator out of frustration…
Ofner wants him disqualified…
After much deliberation with the umpire and supervisor, he gets a warning instead#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/9vSiEfSnWR
Play halted for about 15 minutes as the officials deliberated on their ruling. Atmante never once apologized for his actions. He was allowed to keep playing.
To make matters worse, Terence Atmane has a history. The 22-year-old also swiped a ball at a fan in Dallas earlier this year. This was his second ill-tempered episode of the year. He got away with both!
It is clear that Atmane has a bit of an issue keeping his cool and that will certainly impact any further issues in the future. Now that his name is attached to this kind of behavior on more than one occasion, umpires will not be so lenient in allowing him to remain on the tennis court.
Atmane’s actions during the French Open likely should have warranted a disqualification. The next one most certainly will.
The post Controversy Strikes First Round Of French Open After Tennis Player Rips Ball At Fan Out Of Anger appeared first on BroBible.
Controversy Strikes First Round Of French Open After Tennis Player Rips Ball At Fan Out Of Anger
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