In the face of controversy, Roland-Garros attempts to justify Atmane's non-disqualification
On Sunday, Terence Atmane, ranked 121st in the world and invited by the organizers, came close to pulling off a remarkable feat. Facing Sébastien Ofner (45th), the Frenchman led for a long time, winning the first two sets and even leading by a break in the third act (6-3, 6-4, 4-2). But the pressure of the moment and the level of his opponent caught up with him.
Finally beaten in five sets (3-6, 4-6, 7-6, 6-2, 7-5), it's not for this result, however frustrating, that Atmane has been in the news in recent days. Indeed, it was a moody gesture by the 22-year-old that got people talking. Trailing 4-1 in the fourth set, he couldn't hold his nerve, sending a straight ball into the knee of a spectator.
This gesture is reminiscent of the one Djokovic committed at the US Open in 2020 (ball hit to a lineswoman). Back then, the Serb was disqualified from the tournament. This time, the referee was more lenient and Atmane was able to finish his game.
When asked about the non-disqualification, tournament referee Rémy Azemar tried to explain the decision: "There's a very violent gesture, there's no denying it. The chair umpire went to see the spectator, the supervisor came to the scene and I was called. I collected all the information along the way. I also went to speak to the spectator, and she had been hit on the lower leg.
Visually, there was nothing. I asked her several times if she was in pain, how she was doing, and she was fine. As soon as there's blood, a wound, it's different. [...] On Sunday night, the gesture was very ugly, and the player, very focused on his match, didn't take too much distance from what he had done, but that didn't justify a disqualification."
That said, Azemar was keen to stress the seriousness of the gesture, explaining that the Frenchman would be fined: "He will be fined a significant amount, because the amounts have been raised compared to last year, due to the fact that prize-money is also going up and players have to be responsible for their actions and gestures on the pitch. We'll decide in a few days."
While the arguments put forward by the tournament are understandable, it's not certain that they will be enough to appease some of its followers, who see this as an embarrassing double standard.
