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French Open Spectator Hit Tennis
FILE - Terence Atmane, of France, plays a forehand return to Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, during a first-round match at the Australian Open tennis championships at Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 15, 2024. Atmane was allowed to continue his first-round match at the French Open, Sunday, May 26, 2024, without being penalized after hitting a ball angrily and accidentally striking a spectator in the stands at one of the event's smaller courts. His opponent, Sebastian Ofner, won the match in five sets. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

A French player at the French Open gets only a warning when his ball strikes a fan

A French player at the French Open has been allowed to continue his first-round match without being penalized after hitting a ball angrily and accidentally striking a spectator in the stands at one of the event’s smaller courts

By Howard Fendrich
Published - May 26, 2024, 08:02 PM ET
Last Updated - May 27, 2024, 12:26 AM EDT

PARIS (AP) — A French player at the French Open was allowed to continue his first-round match without being penalized after hitting a ball angrily and accidentally striking a spectator in the stands at one of the event's smaller courts Sunday.

Terence Atmane, a 22-year-old with a career-best ranking of 120th, smacked a ball over the wall into the seats behind the opposite baseline at 492-capacity Court 12 after losing a point in the fourth set against Sebastian Ofner of Austria.

Play was delayed for nearly 15 minutes while the chair umpire and a tournament referee spoke to the fan who was hit and tried to decide what, if any, action to take against Atmane. Eventually, he was given a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct but no further penalty.

“For me, it was a bit surprising, because if you do something like that on a small court, you have to be punished, you know?" Ofner said after coming all the way back from a two-set deficit to pull out a 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2, 7-5 victory. “Because it’s not like you hit the ball normally. It was full power. The ball was so fast. Straight in the crowd. There were people disqualified for less.”

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