People online criticized Russian tennis player Pavel Kotov after a video of his on-court tantrum went viral. The 25-year-old was playing against Arthur Rinderknech at the Australian Open on Sunday when the “explosion” occurred. According to Fox News, Mr Kotov won the match 7-5, 6-1, 6-7 (6-8), 6-7 (5-7), and 6-3, just avoiding disqualification in the first round owing to the incident. After losing a point to Rinderknech, Kotov smashed a ball into the back wall. The ball narrowly missed a ball girl, who winced in horror when Mr Kotov hit it. Though the ball did not drop close to her, the force of the impact surprised her and caused her to turn aside.
Mr Kotov did not appear to notice the outcome of his outburst and proceeded with the match.
According to the New York Post, if Mr. Kotov had hit the ball girl, he could have been disqualified from the championship.
The Video Quickly Spread Throughout Various Social Media Platforms
The video quickly spread throughout various social media platforms, gaining a lot of popularity. People labeled it a “disgraceful moment” in tennis history.
“As a parent of a ballkid I find it absolutely disgusting that he was not disqualified from the AO. The ballkids are all volunteers and do not deserve to feel scared or threatened whilst they are on duty,”
“Poor girl; she shouldn’t have to put up with that trash. “I hope he gets a fine!” said another.
