Roland Garros started this Sunday with great emotions. Carlos Alcaraz and Andrey Rublev began their journey on the clay of Paris with victory on a day free of controversy.
The French appeared in court on the 12th Terence Atmane and the Austrian Stefan Ofner, a match that did not show much incentive, until the Frenchman He suffered a cable crossing in the fourth set that caused him to hit the ball into the stands.
Bad luck meant the ball hit a spectator, causing the game to be cut short for almost 15 minutes. where the chair umpire and the referee talked to the woman to find out the seriousness of the matter.
From the woman’s reaction it was clear that she did not suffer any serious injuries, just a blow to the leg, but The regulations state that these types of actions are punishable by disqualification.
If that is so, Despite Ofner’s claim, the referee decided to leave him with a warning and the French were allowed to continue playing, something that raised a great deal of dust.
“For me it’s a bit surprising, because if you do that on a small court, they have to punish you, you know? Because it’s not normal that you hit the ball. It was full power. The ball is moving very fast. Directly to the public. There are people who are disqualified for less” said Ofner after the game.
“The referee said: ‘Ah, yes, I’m talking to the girl. The lady said that at first it was painful, but now she is fine, and everything is fine. He saw the ball coming. So it’s not enough to disqualify him.’ I think if I had seen how it was, maybe I would have decided differently. A bit unlucky and it goes straight to the face. And then something can happen (like) a broken nose or whatever,” explained the Austrian, who ended up winning the match 7-5 in the fifth set.
In the last edition of Roland Garros, for example, Miyu Kato and her doubles partner were disqualified when Kato accidentally hit a ball girl in the neck with a ball after a point.
In the same tournament, Mirra Andreeva threw the ball into the stands of the Suzanne Lenglen court after losing a point against Coco Gauff; Like Ofner, Andreeva escaped with a warning from the seat umpire.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
