Russian tennis player Andrey Rublev said he “lost [his] mind’ during an “unprofessional” outburst Tuesday in the first round of the French Open.
The world No. 7 viciously spiked the ball against a courtside chair after dropping the first set of his opening round match against South Korea’s Kwon Soon-woo.
The ball bounced off the court and knocked the hat off the head of a nearby groundsman when it flew through the air.
“I lost my mind for a moment, and of course I regret what I did. It’s unacceptable to hit the way the ball I hit it,” said Rublev.
“Better if I just hit the racket on the seat, because the ball can affect someone. This is unprofessional from my side, and hopefully I will never do it again.”
Rublev — who received a warning for his behavior — went on to edge past Kwon Soon-woo, registering a 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win.
Rublev’s outburst also included the tennis pro slamming his water bottle off the court, which drew “oohs” from the crowd at Roland Garros in Paris.
Tim Henman, a British retired pro tennis player, said players need to take responsiblity for their emotions on the court.
“We have seen probably a little bit too much frustration that is almost endangering other people on the court,” Henman said on EuroSport. “The code of conduct has to be followed, the players have to be responsible for their actions.
“When you see a player break a racquet, you’re not going to condone it, but it’s not affecting anything else. When you start hitting balls around, it can get dangerous for others. We saw [Alexander] Zverev hitting the umpire’s chair [at the ATP 500 Mexican Open], it’s not a good look for the sport. You don’t want to be hitting balls in anger and hitting ball kids, that can be an expensive mistake, as I found out in 1995,” he said.
Henman was disqualified in the first round at Wimbledon Championships in 1995, after he accidentally smacked a ball at the ball girl.
The current ranked world No. 1 Novak Djokovic was disqualified from the US Open in 2020, when he angrily swiped at a ball, which hit a line judge in the throat.