French Open: Terence Atmane escapes disqualification after hitting fan with a ball - 'It was full power'
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Published 27/05/2024 at 08:01 GMT
Terence Atmane was allowed to play on against Sebastian Ofner in the first round of the French Open after hitting a fan in the crowd with a ball after losing a point. The Frenchman went on to lose in five sets having raced into a two-set lead on Court 12. Ofner questioned the punishment given to Atmane, saying players have been "disqualified for less".
Atmane only receives warning after striking spectator with ball
Terence Atmane escaped with a warning after hitting the ball at a spectator during his French Open first-round defeat to Sebastian Ofner.
After winning the first two sets, Atmane lost the third and was 4-1 down in the fourth when the incident occurred.
The Frenchman hit a backhand long and, with the point dead, proceeded to launch a vicious forehand strike into the crowd.
It struck a lady who was later seen rubbing her knee from the impact of the shot.
Play was delayed for nearly 15 minutes as the chair umpire and tournament referee spoke to the fan who was hit, and decided what punishment to give Atmane.
Eventually, he was given a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct.
When play resumed, Ofner went on to complete his comeback with a 3-6 4-6 7-6(2) 6-2 7-5 victory, but the major talking point of the match did not sit well with him.
Asked if Atmane had received the correct retribution, Ofner said, per AP: “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."
He added: “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," he said.
At the 2023 French Open, Kiyu Kato and Aldila Sutjiadi were forced to forfeit a match after Kato hit a ball girl.
However, Mirra Andreeva got away with a warning at the same tournament when she hit a ball into the crowd during her defeat against Coco Gauff.
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