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Mandatory Credit: Photo by Javier Garcia/Shutterstock 13944044g Sara Sorribes Tormo French Open Tennis, Day 9, Roland Garros, Paris, France – 05 June 2023 French Open Tennis, Day 9, Roland Garros, Paris, France – 05 June 2023 PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxGRExMLTxCYPxROUxBULxUAExKSAxONLY Copyright: xJavierxGarcia/Shutterstockx 13944044g
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Mandatory Credit: Photo by Javier Garcia/Shutterstock 13944044g Sara Sorribes Tormo French Open Tennis, Day 9, Roland Garros, Paris, France – 05 June 2023 French Open Tennis, Day 9, Roland Garros, Paris, France – 05 June 2023 PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxGRExMLTxCYPxROUxBULxUAExKSAxONLY Copyright: xJavierxGarcia/Shutterstockx 13944044g
The 2023 French Open has been marred by controversies, with political drama, controversial umpiring decisions, and players skipping press conferences dominating the headlines. However, the drama between two doubles specialists has captured the attention of tennis enthusiasts around the world. Indonesian Aldila Sutjiadi and Japanese Miyu Kato were at the center of a heated dispute during their third-round women’s doubles match against Czech Marie Bouzkova and Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo. After a particular action resulted in a young ballgirl’s tears, their subsequent expulsion from the tournament led to intense debate, and a plethora of perspectives. Now, Sorribes Tormo has come forward to give her views on the same.
In the second set, Kato unintentionally struck a ballgirl in the neck, who began to cry. Kato immediately apologized, but the damage had already been done. The chair umpire, Remy Azemar, stepped forward and began to discuss the matter with the officials and referee. The decision: both Kato and Sutjiadi were defaulted.
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Sara Sorribes Tormo explains the actions of her recent controversy on the court
Bouzkova and Sorribes Tormo played a huge role in bringing the ballgirl’s tears to the umpire’s attention. In particular, the reactions of the players caused a media frenzy. Bouzkova and Sorribes Tormo were the targets of criticism, as they had insisted that the ballgirl’s emotion should factor into the umpire’s decision. By contrast, others argued that the emotional state of the young girl had no place in the decision-making process.
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The day after the controversy erupted, Sorribes Tormo addressed the criticism. She emphasized that the significance of the incident lay in the distress caused to the ballgirl.
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According to the Tennis Letter, Sorribes Tormo stated, “What happened yesterday was a bad situation. It’s tough to see the comments. We saw the ball kids were crying; it was the only thing we said to the umpire. And that’s it. I have nothing else to say.”
Some fans argued that the umpire’s decision was too severe. This has caused a much larger discussion surrounding the duties of players to uphold the safety of ball kids.
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The French Open continues, and we might further controversial incidents. It can be stated that the 2023 French Open will remembered more for its controversial on and off court incidents than the action on the court.
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