Fans Slam Roland Garros After Zeynep Sonmez Trips Over Advertising Sign and was Forced to Retire – “Sue Them All”

Zeynep Sonmez injured herself, while Katie Boulter avoided injury after tripping on an advertising block.

Fans Slam Roland Garros After Zeynep Sonmez Trips Over Advertising Sign and was Forced to Retire – “Sue Them All”

Zeynep Sonmez (Image via NBC Sports)

In Short
  • Zeynep Sonmez was forced to retire from the doubles match at Roland Garros after tripping over an advertising sign.
  • Fans and players criticized the placement of advertising blocks, calling them a safety hazard.
  • The French Open organizers have moved the advertising blocks but did not remove them from the courts.

Zeynep Sonmez‘s singles campaign at the Roland Garros ended in the first round. Australia’s Daria Kasatkina clinched a 6-4, 6-4 win over her.

But during her doubles match, she played alongside Tatjana Maria in the second round, the pair was forced to hand the walkover to Dayana Yastremska and Anhelina Kalinina on Friday. It was because Sonmez, while chasing a ball, had tripped over an advertising block and injured herself.

Even Katie Boulter was on the verge of injuring herself. During her second-round match against Anastasia Potapova, she tripped over the advertising hoarding at the back of the court.

THESE THINGS HAVE TO GO. Got lucky last night but next time I might not be…

Katie Boulter wrote on X

Sonmez made her Roland Garros main draw appearance in singles back in 2024 and has yet to make it past the second round.

I stand with Katie. 5 incidents in 5 days. I left the court with 2 stitches and a bruised knee. Thankfully, it wasn’t worse. Do we really have to wait until a player is seriously injured before these courtside boards are removed? Player safety must come first.

Zeynep Sonmez wrote on X

Former ATP player Andy Roddick, on his Served podcast, claimed the advertising blocks serve no purpose and are ‘just a hazard’. But he said the tarps play a role because if it starts raining, the officials have to be quick to cover up the courts.

During his practice session with Joao Fonseca ahead of the second-round match against Alex de Minaur, Alexander Blockx twisted his ankle on a tarp, and later his coach, Ruben Bemelmans, said they are considering seeking compensation. The Belgian ace was forced to withdraw from the tournament.

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The French Open is under fire after Zeynep Sonmez’s injury incident

Fans want the injured players to ask for compensation from the French Open. They criticized them for how they positioned the ad blocks and questioned why they even placed them at the back of the court.

Zeynep Sonmez
Zeynep Sonmez (Image via X/Jimmy48 Photography)

Check out their reactions here:

Following the complaints, the French Open moved the position of the blocks. But they did not remove them from the courts.

The stadium complex was modernised during the 2018/2019 season. All Roland-Garros courts currently exceed the international circuit minimum requirements regarding the distance between the baseline and the back of the court, which is set at 6.4 metres.

The French Tennis Federation (FFT) and French Open organizers said in a statement

The organizers previously placed the block in front of the folded court covers. But now, they were placed on top of the tarp at the back of the courts.

However, the tournament’s priority remains the well- being of the players taking part. With this in mind, and based on our own observations, adjustments are currently being made to the area around the playing surface.

They added

At present, the men’s draw is without Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic, both of whom crashed out in the early rounds. Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is not competing because of a wrist injury he suffered during the Barcelona Open.

Sinner suffered cramps and, despite being just one game away from victory, lost in the second round. Djokovic squandered a two-set lead and lost a five-set thriller to Joao Fonseca. On the women’s side, Coco Gauff is competing as the defending champion. Both Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek have reached the fourth round, while Elena Rybakina lost in the second round.

Also read: Marta Kostyuk Voices Safety Concerns After Zeynep Sonmez’s Injury at Roland Garros