“Had it been Novak they wouldn’t think twice”- Fans left furious after local guy Terence Atmane allowed to continue despite hitting a fan during his first-round match at 2024 Roland Garros
The authorities are yet to explain their decision.
Terence Atmane (Image via Imago)
22-year-old French tennis player Terence Atmane got away with an unacceptable act during his first-round match at the 2024 Roland Garros and this left the fans angry. As Atmane survived a disqualification despite hitting a fan during his match against Sebastian Ofner, tennis fans expressed displeasure.
The incident took place on Sunday when Atmane took on Ofner in his opening match of the Grand Slam tournament. As the Frenchman was trailing in his match he smacked a ball over the wall into the seats behind the opposite baseline at 492-capacity Court 12 after losing a point in the fourth set.
The ball hit a lady and Ofner was quick to notice this. He demanded a disqualification for Atmane, as per the rules of the game. The play was delayed for nearly 15 minutes while the chair umpire and a tournament referee spoke to the fan who was hit and tried to decide what if any, action to take against Atmane. Eventually, he was given a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct but no further penalty.
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 said about the decision.
Fans shame ATP for double standards!
The video of the incident spread like wildfire on social media and garnered significant attention from tennis fans. Most of them looked displeased with the decision from the match referee and supervisor and shamed the ATP for their double standards.
A few cited previous examples where players have been disqualified for a smaller offense. Novak Djokovic fans also expressed their frustration saying the Serbian would have been disqualified had he been playing. Check out the fans’ reaction to this incident.
Notably, the authorities have yet to come up with an explanation about why Terence Atmane was allowed to continue despite the offense. A French Tennis Federation spokesperson said there would be no comment before Monday.
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Ritesh Pathak
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