The ongoing French Open has seen its share of penalties! But one in particular has sparked outrage and accusations of bias. The incident involved young French player Terence Atmane, who received a wild card entry for the 2024 tournament. Hopes were high for the promising talent, but his journey took a sharp turn when a moment of frustration led him to hit a ball into the crowd. While he was warned for the action, the tennis community accused the umpires of bias. Most recently, Andy Roddick has joined the bandwagon!

The youngster, who won the initial two sets of his match against Sebastian Ofner in the first round, grew furious when his opponent started making a comeback. In a moment of frustration, Atmane smashed the ball in the direction of a spectator in the fourth set. This left a woman injured who was hit in the leg. Typically, such incidents result in immediate disqualification, but Atmane was treated differently and let off with a warning. This decision sparked outrage among many, including former tennis pro Andy Roddick, who voiced his disapproval.

During the latest episode of Served with Roddick, the 2003 US Open winner was joined by journalist Jon Wertheim as the duo discussed some crucial events from the tournament. Speaking on Atmane’s incident Roddick called out the rule and claimed it to be partial. Recalling Novak Djokovic’s disqualification in the 2020 US Open, he further highlighted that such calls frustrate the players. “When Novak hits someone at the US Open and gets defaulted immediately because it’s an umpire on the court. Like if you accidentally hit a ball and it hits an umpire or the person in the third row. It’s the same action. It’s an accident.”

The former American tennis player went on to highlight that such incidents are not intentional but the different treatment of players annoys them. “You don’t mean to hit someone. But it’s the same result. This bullshit thing where like last year someone gets thrown out of the tournament for the exact same thing. And then this year, that’s what causes confusion.” While Atmane was let go with just a warning and a hefty fine of $25,000, the fate was different for Novak Djokovic.

In the US Open 2020, Nole lost his service game to trail 6-5 in the opening set of his Round 4 match against Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta. Djokovic then struck a line umpire with a ball hit in anger and was ultimately defaulted from the tournament. A similar fate was witnessed by Swedish player Mikael Ymer in 2023. He violently slammed his racquet against the chair umpire’s chair during his round of 16 clash against Arthur Fils at the Lyon Open. This ultimately resulted in his disqualification. Meanwhile, the umpires have witnessed immense heat in the French Open.

When Novak Djokovic called out a controversial ruling

The 2024 French Open will not just be remembered by Nole’s fans for the Serb’s injury-induced exit but for his stance against a controversial ruling as well. The Serb soon returned to the match after he was two down to one against Lorenzo Musetti at Roland Garros. Having balanced the sets 2-2, he was on the verge of clinching victory when a controversial ruling hindered him. 

The former World No. 2 was seen fuming in the late-night match after he was penalized for a time violation by umpire Nour. “By the rules, you did the right thing, but have a little bit of understanding of what we’re going through right now, it’s four AM!” Nole said. The decision was also booed at by the crowd. Musetti, however, suggested Djokovic have two serves, a gesture appreciated by many. 

While the controversy over such rulings continues unabated, the organizers must demonstrate impartiality. Only time will tell if frustration from the tennis community, like that expressed by Andy Roddick, will cause changes. However, decisions like these undeniably impact the morale of players, casting a shadow over the sport’s integrity.