Russian Pavel Kotov worked hard to defeat Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech in the first round of the Australian Open tennis tournament on Saturday in Melbourne, but he came within inches of returning to the locker room empty-handed.
Winner in five sets of 7-5, 6-1, 6-7 (6), 6-7 (5) and 6-3, the 65e world player has experienced his share of roller coaster emotions. Moreover, his anger could have earned him a disqualification when he let out all his frustration following a game that did not go to his advantage. A sequence posted online on social networks showed him hitting a ball with all his strength against the back wall where a ball attendant was located; She had the reflex to protect herself when she saw the object speeding past her.
Despite the speed of his blow, Kotov did not apologize to the young woman concerned. If he had reached this, the Russian would have seen the referee disqualify him on the spot. In the next round, he will face the Italian Flavio Cobolli.