Next freak in tennis
US talent’s bat meets ball boy
03/25/2022, 09:46 am
In soccer, throwing cups is a bad habit, in tennis, throwing a racquet is becoming more and more dangerous. Within a few days, a player’s racquet flies twice in the direction of a ball boy. The incidents sparked a discussion about the penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.
The American Jenson Brooksby apparently hit a ball boy with a racket throw at the Masters in Miami and again started a discussion about the penalty for unsportsmanlike behavior in tennis. The 21-year-old only received a point penalty for his offense in the 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 first-round win over Argentinian Federico Coria.
When the score was 4:1 in the third set, he threw his racket, the ball boy took cover, but was probably caught on the foot. Coria had little understanding for the action. “If you attack someone on the pitch, that should mean a direct disqualification,” said Coria, who argued with the referee after the scene: “If I do that or any Latino, we won’t play for three months.”
Brooksby posted a photo of himself with the ball boy after the match and apologized. “I will learn from this and continue to grow on and off the pitch,” he wrote on Instagram. Most recently, the topic had boiled up after Alexander Zverev’s freak out in Acapulco in February. For his wild attack on the referee’s chair, he was punished with a fine and an eight-week suspended ban. Many experts felt this was too lenient.
In Indian Wells, Australian Nick Kyrgios narrowly missed a ball boy with his racquet. After his defeat against Rafael Nadal, he threw his racket on the ground so violently that it flew across the court in a high arc. A ball boy ducked, startled, afraid of being hit. Kyrgios denied any intention, the racquet had unfortunately jumped away after impact. “I’m human, things like that happen,” said the 26-year-old, who has often been punished for his emotional outbursts. Kyrgios apologized to the ball boy via Messanger messages.