Queen's tennis crowd brutally boo star as atmosphere turns bitter on TV
Corentin Moutet was already playing against the fans at Queen's as he faced British No. 2 Jacob Fearnley, and matters only got worse when the Frenchman smashed a ball into the stands
Corentin Moutet confronted the umpire while 2-5 down in the final set
(Image: BBC )
Corentin Moutet, the French qualifier, faced the ire of spectators at the Andy Murray Arena after he angrily hit a ball into the stands. The crowd was already against him, with British No. 2 Jacob Fearnley on the opposite side of the court.
However, the atmosphere turned bitter when Moutet, in frustration, struck a ball away after being broken in the decisive third set, leading to a chorus of boos echoing around the centre court at Queen's Club.
Subsequently, Moutet received a code violation warning.
Moutet is a contentious character on the tour, reports the Express.
The world No. 89 has been handed numerous code violations throughout his career and has even been disqualified from matches.
He once had his funding withdrawn by the French Tennis Federation.
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His matches are always expected to be dramatic, and this was certainly the case when he took on Fearnley in the second round of the HSBC Championships at Queen's.
Moutet, who qualified for the main draw here, managed to force a final set after losing the first.
However, after being broken at 1-1 in the third set, he became frustrated and hit a ball away.
As Moutet returned to his bench, now trailing by a break, the crowd began to boo.
Chair umpire Adel Nour promptly announced a code violation for ball abuse.
"Moutet is going to be in all sorts of trouble here," BBC commentator Sam Smith observed.
Corentin Moutet of France looks on against Jacob Fearnley of Great Britain
(Image: Getty Images )
John Lloyd highlighted the fortune of Moutet not injuring anyone with his shot, remarking: "Certainly made sure he didn't hit anybody in the stands with that ball. He hit that about half a mile away. That was a brilliant passing shot from Fearnley to break there.
"Here we go, this one went a long way up. Got to be careful when you do that, I remember Davis Cup with [Denis] Shapovalov. He did that but didn't get the angle right and smacked it straight at the umpire. Immediate default."
Smith responded: "The minute you start hitting the ball about, even if it's at the back netting, into the stands, you're in big trouble and that's an automatic warning. Very good umpiring from Adel Nour who has tried to also diffuse the situation. It's always going to be tricky with Corentin on the court."
Further tension arose as the world No. 89 received a time violation while serving to stay in the match at 1-5 and snapped at a spectator to "shut up" after being heckled.
He fended off match points to remain in contention before challenging the umpire, exclaiming: "Say time violation whenever it's on zero, that's your only job? They are talking to me," in frustration.
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French player Corentin Moutet blasted the umpire after being handed a time violation, saying: "I have three balls in the hand and it's 10 seconds, and then you give me a time violation and you say don't talk to me. What's wrong with you? In sunglasses and you're making the rules, that's funny. I'm running every day three hours and you're telling me what to do. That's crazy. One point I explain it to you and you give me a time violation. Oh my god, this guy is crazy! It's killing me, killing me every day."
Following the argument, Fearnley continued and won the match, securing a 6-3 2-6 6-2 victory to advance to the quarter-finals in his first appearance in the tournament. Despite the tension on court, Moutet showed good sportsmanship by shaking hands with his opponent at the end.
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