Roland Garros officials have been forced to remove advertising boards from courts with players up in arms following a number of ugly incidents.
Zyenep Sonmez was forced to retire injured from her women’s doubles match on Saturday morning after scary scenes which resulted in her cannoning into a wall at the back of the court.
The Turkish player took a swipe at French Open organisers after tripping on an advertising board positioned on the ground in front of a tarpaulin at the back of the court.
Sonmez only suffered minor injuries but called for the boards to be removed. “I left the court with two stitches and a bruised knee. Thankfully, it wasn’t worse,” Sonmez wrote on social media.
“Do we really have to wait until a player is seriously injured before these courtside boards are removed? Player safety mustcome first.”
With other players showing public support for Sonmez, Roland Garros eventually acted towards the end of the days play, announcing “adjustments are currently being made to the area around the playing surface”.
Sonmez’s incident came after Belgian Alexander Blockx earlier this week withdrew from the men’s second round after twisting his ankle on a court cover during practice.
English star Katie Boulter slammed officials for the invasive advertising boards in a post on X that has gone viral.
“These things have to go,” she wrote.
Four-time women’s French Open champion Iga Swiatek urged tournament officials to take action to avoid any more injuries.
“I didn’t see the incidents, but I heard about them. Obviously if these things happen, there needs to be a reaction,” Swiatek said after reaching the last 16.
“On clay court we need more space sometimes because the balls are flying higher,” she added.
“I hope they’re going to put them in a different place or just put the advertising in a different way… because yeah, it’s not safe for sure.”
Marta Kostyuk, Swiatek’s upcoming opponent, also described the set-up at the back of the court as “very dangerous”.
She cited injuries to David Goffin at Roland Garros in 2017 and Kirsten Flipkens in Abu Dhabi in 2021.
“It’s terrible. I try to be very careful with that,” said Kostyuk.
“I had one moment in the previous match when (my opponent) played a really deep lob, and I was really far back.
“Usually I just let it go. I don’t play this ball fully because I prefer to lose the point than get injured.” Asked whether removing equipment from the court would help, Kostyuk was not so sure.
“I feel like there are some rules that no matter what happens, they just cannot be changed,” she said.
“And no matter how much you speak about it or how much you fight over it, it’s just the rules.”
Storm erupts over ball girl incident
Spain’s Rafael Jodar has denied suggestions he pushed a ball girl during his third round win over American Alex Michelsen.
Jodar’s epic five-set win has been soured by viral footage and suggestions he shoved a volunteer ball girl as he attempted to leave the court.
One broadcast camera showed Jodar threw an object towards his players box before he headed for the exit, where the young girl was also moving across.
However, the No. 27 seed says he did not touch the gall girl and said the camera footage is misleading.
The camera only captured a view from directly at Jodar’s back.
“I finished the set and she was walking backwards,” Jodar told reporters after the match.
“I was telling my dad to give me what he was going to give me after the toilet break. She was in the middle. I think she was trying to get out of the way.”
He said the young girl slipped on a tarpaulin at the back of the court. There have been calls for the tarpaulins to also be removed from the court with several players also losing their feet.
“She fell because there was a court cover behind her,” Jodar said, per tennismajors.com. “Obviously I appreciate all the work the ballkids do – I know it’s difficult in this heat. I could never push a ballkid.”
Asked whether he had made any contact at all with his hands: “I never touched her. I would never do that.”
The 19-year-old had to dig deep as the match ticked over the four hour mark before he eventually prevailed 7-6 (7/2), 6-7 (5/7), 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
He will now face fellow Spaniard and former World No. 10 Pablo Carreno Busta in the fourth round.
Djokovic and Demon knocked out, vent anger
The men’s singles draw was blown further wide open when Novak Djokovic and Alex de Minaur were knocked out.
De Minaur became the first player to lose a grand slam match after winning the opening set 6-0 in six years in a stunning mid-match capitulation in his 0-6 6-2 6-2 6-3 defeat against 20-year-old Jakub Mensik.
There was more history to come in Djokovic’s match as he coughed up a two-set-to-love lead for just the second time in his career – and first in 16 years.
Again it was a young star – Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca – who marked his arrival on the big stage with a 4-6 4-6 6-3 7-5 7-5 triumph.
There were also dramatic moments of tension in both matches.
The Australian was seen dropping his broken racket in a bin as Mensik – who two days ago dramatically collapsed in the heat in his match against Mariano Navone – dialled up the pressure.
It is the first time the Czech has beaten de Minaur in six meetings.
De Minaur said after the match he wants to quickly forget about the match.
— with AFP
