A dramatic meltdown during a French tennis tournament merited a player a rare disqualification from competition.
Mikael Ymer was ejected following a meltdown in which he violently attacked an umpire’s viewing tower with his own tennis racket.
Ymer was competing in the Lyon Open in France on Wednesday.
The Swedish national lost to Arthur Fils of France in the second-round contest, according to Mediaite.
Ymer’s meltdown began after an umpire declined to call a return from Fils as out of bounds.
What a dramatic ending to a fascinating contest…
Ymer is disqualified vs Fils in Lyon
#OpenParc @OpenParcARA pic.twitter.com/N7E2a1pS6E
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 24, 2023
The poor sport began arguing the call with the umpire after he lost the point to Fils — with the referee responding that he couldn’t check the mark of a return that Ymer continued to play as if it were in bounds.
After losing a subsequent game-breaking point to Fils, Ymer released his anger in a fashion destructive both to property and good sportsmanship.
The 53rd-ranked player attacked the umpire’s chair violently with his racket — the force of which was enough to resonate throughout the entire tennis court.
“He’s gonna be gone here. I bet this is done. You can’t do that,” an announcer predicted after the meltdown.
Crickets from tennis twitter, Ymer can get away with whatever he likes
Zverev, not so much pic.twitter.com/P2xUOsDuC6
— Gaelen (@GaelenBet) May 24, 2023
The announcer’s prediction was soon realized. After a conversation with the umpire, another tournament official notified Ymer that he was being disqualified from competition.
The losing player and poor sport rose to shake his opponent’s hand before leaving the court.
A slow-motion replay of the call that agitated Ymer reveals that the ball was arguably out of bounds.
Closer look at the controversial point between Ymer and Fils
Looks close enough to be looked at. I’ve seen many more that have been looked at and they weren’t remotely close as this pic.twitter.com/RzbzUN8yX5
— Vee play a tournament era (@VenusGauff) May 24, 2023
However, Ymer continued to play the point — a fact that the umpire appears to have cited to the upset player during their pre-meltdown conversation.
The Association of Tennis Professionals is yet to announce additional penalties for the disqualified player.
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