WATCH: Botic Van de Zandschulp smashes his racket and abuses the ball as his bratty behavior results in him losing against Gael Monfils
Emotions get the better of the former World No. 22 who had his outburst to blame for the loss to Gael Monfils.
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Botic Van de Zandschulp smashed his racket in anger (images via IMAGO)
World No. 70 Botic Van de Zandschulp had a poor outing at the 2024 Qatar Open in Doha. Up against the World No. 68 Gael Monfils, the Dutch had a massive meltdown on the court. It ultimately cost him the match.
Monfils took an early lead in the match wrapping up the first set 6-1. The Frenchman was however met with a stern challenge by Zandschulp in the second set as the two men went toe-to-toe. It all came down to a tiebreaker in the second set.
Monfils was looking to close it in straight-sets while Botic was looking to push the match into the third set. As had been the course of the second set, the two men looked inseparable as they didn’t allow each other to take the lead. But everything went south for the Dutch midway through the tiebreaker.
After losing a point after advancing to the net, he vented his frustration on the racket smashing it on the court. He was immediately handed a warning but he regrouped himself and created a set-point for him at 8-8. But to the surprise of all, he immediately removed a ball from his pocket and launched it straight into the crowd.
The umpire had no choice but to hand him a point penalty for ball abuse. The score then read 9-9. The Frenchman held his nerves in the next two points and won the tiebreaker at 11-9 securing the match as well.
He also had a bit of help as his shot hit the net cord and fell in Botic’s side with the Dutch unable to return despite stretching as much he could.
Tough test for Gael Monfils in the second round
The win over Zandschulp was just the third of the season for Monfils. The Frenchman had lost to eventual champion Jannik Sinner in Rotterdam last week despite a good performance.
With a 3-4 record to his name, he will now take on Zhizhen Zhang for a place in the quarter-finals. The Chinese young gun has been 5-5 for the season so far. He beat Lorenzo Musetti in a remarkable performance defeating the Italian 6-2, 6-0. Monfils and Zhang will clash for the first time in their careers.
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Sarthak Shitole
(3462 Articles Published)