Latest news with #RennaeStubbs
The Independent
3 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Lorenzo Musetti avoids disqualification after kicking a ball at a line judge
Italian eighth seed Lorenzo Musetti was lucky not to be disqualified from the French Open after kicking a ball at a line judge. In the second set of his quarter-final against American Frances Tiafoe, Musetti booted the ball in frustration and it hit the woman, standing about three metres away, in the chest. Tiafoe looked stunned at the other end of the court and gestured towards the umpire, who eventually gave Musetti a code violation. There were echoes of Novak Djokovic being defaulted at the 2020 US Open after accidentally hitting a female line judge with a ball. Tiafoe, the 15th seed, said: 'I mean, obviously he did that and nothing happened. I think that's comical, but it is what it is. 'Nothing happened, so there's nothing really to talk about. Obviously it's not consistent, so it is what it is.' Former player-turned broadcaster Rennae Stubbs wrote on X: 'Wow Musetti is very lucky to be still on court right now. You cannot kick a ball and it hit the lines person and not be defaulted.' Musetti, who reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon last year, won the match 6-2 4-6 7-5 6-2 to progress to the last four at Roland Garros for the first time. He said: 'Yeah, I was a little bit, honestly, scared, because I really didn't want to harm nobody, of course. 'So I immediately went to the line umpire, and I of course said 'sorry', I apologise to everyone. 'It was right to have a warning, but I think the umpire saw that there was no intention about that, and that's why probably just, you know, let me continue my game.' The French Open is the only one of the four grand slams to still use line judges rather than electronic line calling.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Lorenzo Musetti escapes French Open default after kicking ball at line judge
Italian No 2 Lorenzo Musetti put himself at risk of disqualification when he kicked a loose ball into the body of a line judge. Yet Musetti got away with a warning from the chair umpire – an outcome which surprised a number of observers – and then went on to defeat Frances Tiafoe to move into the French Open semi-finals. Tiafoe described the lack of action as 'comical' in his post-match press conference. 'Obviously he did that and nothing happened,' said Tiafoe. 'I think that's comical, but it is what it is. Nothing happened, so there's nothing really to talk about. Obviously it's not consistent, so it is what it is.' Meanwhile, Rennae Stubbs, the former world doubles No 1, wrote on the X: 'Musetti is VERY LUCKY to be still on court right now. You cannot kick a ball and it hit the lines person and not be defaulted. I know he didn't mean it but no one does, man, this is BAD! And he's out there playing right, knowing he could easily have been in the locker room!' Lorenzo Musetti received a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct after this incident 😳 #RolandGarros — TNT Sports (@tntsports) June 3, 2025 The obvious point of comparison was the ejection of Novak Djokovic from his fourth-round match at the 2020 US Open for flicking a ball into the neck of a line judge. The Musetti ball probably did not travel as quickly as Djokovic's did, but the greater difference lay in where it landed, which was on the body rather than such a sensitive area as the throat. The judge in question barely seemed to notice the contact, whereas in 2020, the unfortunate Laura Clark immediately collapsed to the ground, struggling to breathe. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) Another disqualification made headlines at the French Open two years ago when Japanese doubles player Miyu Kato tried to pass a ball to a ball-girl with her racket but ended up hitting her on the head and moving her to tears. At the time, the commentator and former French Open finalist Alex Corretja said that 'it was too strict to disqualify her because it [the flight of the ball] was very slow'. Kato later described the penalty as 'unjust' but an appeal to tournament organisers was rejected. A controversial ending to a women's doubles match as Kato/Sutjiadi were disqualified for hitting a ball girl ❌ — Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) June 4, 2023 As for Musetti, he was behind in the second set at the time of Tuesday's incident, and seemed particularly irritated when Tiafoe held serve to move to a 5-3 advantage. Tiafoe could be seen pointing out the judge to the umpire, and then discussing what had happened, before the code-violation warning was eventually announced. Yet Musetti recovered his composure and began to move ahead in the match, eventually closing out a 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 victory to earn a place in the last four. 'It's a process of growing, not just inside the court but especially off the court,' he said during his on-court interview. 'Last year I became a father. I think that gave me an extra responsibility and I now approach things in a more professional way, not just on the court in matches but in my daily routine.'
New York Post
28-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Tennis world rails against ‘creepy' new shower rule: ‘This is unacceptable'
The tennis world is up in arms after a new 'creepy' shower rule was revealed in a bid to further help catch those using performance-enhancing drugs. The International Tennis Integrity Unit (ITIA) informed players of the new rule on Friday, which will see drug tests conducted immediately after matches. Advertisement 'The ITIA and ITF have been working tirelessly to ensure that post-match showers can constitute an allowable delay for doping controls, especially when the absence of a shower can have a detrimental effect on the health and wellbeing of a player,' the ITIA statement read. The International Tennis Integrity Unit (ITIA) informed players of the new rule on Friday, which will see drug tests conducted immediately after matches. Getty Images 'However, taking a shower is not a right. For this reason, the ITIA kindly requests players to shower while remaining in clear view of the chaperone observing them at all times. 'If a player feels uncomfortable being watched during their shower, we suggest considering whether it is necessary to shower before providing the doping control sample.' Advertisement Sharing the new rule on X, American sports journalist Jon Wertheim wrote: 'This is … extraordinary.' And other tennis fans were even more shocked, calling out the 'creepy' new rule. Rennae Stubbs said the statement was just poorly worded and a drug testing officer is always present from the time players leave the court through to giving a sample. Getty Images 'Chaperone in full view while the players are showering??? This is creepy, given how some players, males and females, are in their teens. Ew,' one fan wrote in response to the announcement on X. Advertisement 'This is unacceptable,' another added. While a third wrote: 'I cannot believe what I just read.' However, four-time Australian Olympian Rennae Stubbs said the statement was just poorly worded and a drug testing officer is always present from the time players leave the court through to giving a sample. Advertisement 'We always have had to shower with the door open,' Stubbs wrote on X. 'The drug testing people were with us every minute from the moment we walked off the court including watching us shower. I don't know why they're putting this out now.'
The Guardian
19-04-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Tennis body defends ‘uncomfortable' shower rule as criticism bubbles over
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has come under fire after it issued a reminder about anti-doping rules, saying players chosen to give samples must remain in full view of chaperones if they choose to take a shower first. In a note sent to players via the tours that has found its way on to social media, the ITIA said although it had worked hard to ensure that showers after matches can amount to permissible delays to doping control it was not an 'entitlement'. It requested players opting to freshen up first to strictly adhere to the requirement to stay in full view of the chaperone observing them at all times, and that failure to do so would be taken extremely seriously by the ITIA. The move sparked a backlash from fans on social media, with one saying showering in front of someone was 'creepy' given that some players are teenagers, while Britain's former player Mark Petchey said it was 'unacceptable'. However, others including Australia's former doubles No 1 Rennae Stubbs said there was nothing new about the rule. 'We recognise that parts of the anti-doping testing process are uncomfortable,' the ITIA said in a statement. 'However, as with all World Anti-Doping Agency-compliant sports – not just tennis – players who are notified for a test after a match are observed at all times by an anti-doping chaperone until the test is completed. This is a requirement of the World Anti-Doping Code.' The sport's anti-doping authorities have had to fend off criticism in recent months after high-ranked players like Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek escaped long bans for failing drug tests. The ITIA maintains that cases are dealt with based on facts and evidence and not a player's name, ranking or nationality. The former Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority chief Richard Ings added on X that there was nothing incorrect going on in relation to the showering rule. 'This is normal. Players need to be observed passing urine to rule out substitution,' Ings added. 'Players need to be observed in the shower so they don't pee out urine needed for the analysis.' The ITIA said it understood that it may take some time for a player to produce a sample and there were permissible delays for reporting to the doping control station – including cooling down and showering. 'Player welfare is a priority and so we will continue to advocate for their right to do this,' the ITIA added. 'However it is important any activity does not impact the integrity of the sample. We regularly remind players of specific rules, and we are happy to answer any questions they may have.'
Japan Times
19-04-2025
- Sport
- Japan Times
Tennis doping watchdog defends supervised shower rule amid fan backlash
The International Tennis Integrity Agency has come under fire from some fans after it issued a reminder about anti-doping rules, saying players chosen to give samples must remain in full view of chaperones if they choose to take a shower first. In a note sent to players via the tours that has found its way onto social media, the ITIA said although it had worked hard to ensure that showers after matches can amount to permissible delays to doping control it was not an "entitlement." It requested players opting to freshen up first to strictly adhere to the requirement to stay in full view of the chaperone observing them at all times, and that failure to do so would be taken extremely seriously by the ITIA. The move sparked a backlash from fans on social media with one saying showering in front of someone was "creepy" given that some players are teenagers, while former British player Mark Petchey said it was "unacceptable." However, others including Australia's former doubles No. 1 Rennae Stubbs said there was nothing new about the rule. "We recognise that parts of the anti-doping testing process are uncomfortable," the ITIA said in a statement. "However, as with all World Anti-Doping Agency-compliant sports — not just tennis — players who are notified for a test after a match are observed at all times by an anti-doping chaperone until the test is completed. "This is a requirement of the World Anti-Doping Code." The sport's anti-doping authorities have had to fend off criticism in recent months after high-ranked players like Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek escaped long bans for failing drug tests. The ITIA maintains that cases are dealt with based on facts and evidence and not a player's name, ranking or nationality. Former Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority chief Richard Ings added on X that there was nothing incorrect going on in relation to the showering rule. "This is normal. Players need to be observed passing urine to rule out substitution," Ings added. "Players need to be observed in the shower so they don't pee out urine needed for the analysis. The ITIA said it understood that it may take some time for a player to produce a sample and there were permissible delays for reporting to the doping control station — including cooling down and showering. "Player welfare is a priority and so we will continue to advocate for their right to do this," the ITIA added. "However it is important any activity does not impact the integrity of the sample. We regularly remind players of specific rules, and we are happy to answer any questions they may have."
