WATCH: “Federer also had anger issues”- 13-year-old Swedish tennis player William Repakis disqualified from French tournament for flipping off chair umpire as fans storm social media in rage

The 13-year-old's actions meant he was immediately disqualified from the tournament.

WATCH: “Federer also had anger issues”- 13-year-old Swedish tennis player William Repakis disqualified from French tournament for flipping off chair umpire as fans storm social media in rage

13-year-old shows middle finger to chair umpire (Images via screengrab)

A 13-year-old tennis player from Sweden was immediately disqualified from the Les Petit AS 2024 for his unruly behavior towards the chair umpire. William Repakis, the player in the limelight, was penalized heavily for flipping out after a decision went against him. The 13-year-old Swedish player lost his cool after an unfair decision from the chair umpire.

As per the video clip going viral on social media, Repakis lost his cool when the chair umpire awarded a point to his opponent despite a foul. The young player could not believe it, as he had his hands on his head in shock and disbelief. He was seen gesturing that the ball landed outside the line.

YouTube video

Repakis then animatedly gestured towards the chair umpire and walked towards him in anger. The young player then took a drastic step as he showed his middle finger to the umpire. This led to his immediate disqualification from the tournament. The incident took place during Repakis’ Round of 16 match against Rafael Thao Keuang.

FS Video

It is worth mentioning that this tournament, which is in its 42nd edition has produced legends of the game like Rafael Nadal and Martina Hingis. The likes of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Alexander Zverev also took part in this junior tournament.

Fans react to William Repakis’ disqualification over obscene gesture

As the video clip of this incident went viral on social media, fans came out with their view on the matter. While some felt that strong action was needed against such unruly behavior, a large number of fans defended the player, saying he was too young.

William-Repakis
The kid throws his racket after getting disqualified (Image via screengrab)

A few fans also cited Roger Federer’s example and claimed that the Swiss legend had the same level of anger issues. Check out the reactions below.

https://twitter.com/hander205/status/1751723431953944970

While there is no doubt about the call taken by the chair umpire being outright wrong, the youngster did crossed the line by showing his middle finger. What’s interesting is that the majority of tennis fans found it normal and defended the 13-year-old.

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