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Should Musetti have received harsher penalty for kicking ball at line judge?
Lorenzo Musetti. Sipa Press

Should Lorenzo Musetti have received harsher penalty for kicking ball at line judge at French Open?

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.  

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.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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