PARIS — Frances Tiafoe couldn’t help but roll his eyes when a reporter asked about the controversial moment during his match. He found it “comical” that Lorenzo Musetti, who defeated him in the French Open quarterfinals on Tuesday, only received a warning after accidentally kicking a tennis ball that struck a linesperson.
“It’s pretty ironic, to be honest,” the No. 15 seed remarked after his 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 defeat. “He did what he did, and nothing came of it. It’s amusing, really. There’s no need to dwell on it; the inconsistency speaks for itself.”
At Roland-Garros, unlike many elite tennis events using electronic line-calling technology, human officials still make crucial decisions on shot placements. This was another point of contention for Tiafoe, as he contested multiple calls, including one that subsequent replays confirmed he had rightfully challenged.
Historically, players have been disqualified for striking officials with a ball, whether unintentionally or otherwise. In this instance, the lineswoman who was hit continued her duties unscathed.
A prominent example is the 2020 U.S. Open when Novak Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, inadvertently struck a line judge in the throat after swinging his racket in frustration.
Musetti, who previously earned a bronze medal for Italy at the Paris Olympics and made it to the Wimbledon semifinals last year, found himself trailing Tiafoe 5-3 in the second set when the incident occurred.
After being handed balls for serving in the next game, Musetti attempted a left-footed kick, which inadvertently sailed into a female line judge positioned near the baseline. He quickly offered his apologies as the chair umpire announced that a warning for a code infraction was issued.
It’s worth noting that an initial warning does not carry a penalty.
“Honestly, it was just an unfortunate accident. I felt a bit scared because I certainly didn’t want to cause harm. So, I rushed over to the linesperson to apologize,” Musetti explained. “The warning was warranted, but I believe the umpire recognized there was no malicious intent behind it, which probably factored into why I was allowed to continue.”
Despite the controversy, Tiafoe managed to snag that set. However, Musetti rallied back to clinch the last two, securing his first trip to the semifinals at Roland-Garros.
