Italian tennis star Lorenzo Musetti may have overstepped his bounds in Tuesday's French Open quarterfinal match against American Frances Tiafoe.
After winning the first set 6-2, Musetti struggled throughout the second set. Tiafoe won the set's eighth game when he hit a forehand winner crosscourt. Frustrated, the 23-year-old Musetti kicked a ball with his left foot, which flew into a female line judge behind the baseline.
Lorenzo Musetti received a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct after this incident #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/ted26XaBUv
— TNT Sports (@tntsports) June 3, 2025
After the incident, the chair umpire immediately announced that Musetti had received a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct. However, should he have received a harsher penalty?
A player kicking or smacking a ball and hitting someone can warrant a default, whether the contact is intentional or not.
Novak Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam singles champion, was disqualified from the 2020 U.S. Open when he accidentally struck a line judge in the throat with a ball in his match against Pablo Carreno Busta.
"Players shall not violently, dangerously or with anger, hit, kick or throw a tennis ball on the grounds of the tournament site except in the reasonable pursuit of a point during the match (including warm-up)," wrote The Athletic's James Hansen, citing the rulebook. "For purposes of this rule, abuse of balls is defined as intentionally or recklessly hitting a ball out of the enclosure of a court, hitting a ball dangerously or recklessly within the court or hitting a ball with disregard of the consequences."
Tiafoe quickly asked about a default, but the chair umpire stuck to their call. Musetti would lose the second set 4-6 but cruised for the rest of the match.
He won the third set 7-5 and the second set 6-2, punching his ticket to the semifinal at Roland-Garros. The No. 8 seed will face No. 12 seed Tommy Paul or No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz on Friday.
Musetti better keep his temper under control for the rest of the tournament. He's lucky that the chair umpire in Tuesday's match seemed lenient.
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