Pavel Vyacheslavovich Kotov was lucky not to be disqualified at the n Open after a shocking outburst left a young ball girl terrified.
The Russian, 25, was made to work for his first round win on Sunday after Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech fought from two sets down to take the match to a decider in Melbourne.
During that gruelling encounter, Kotov exploded in an outburst that has left many tennis fans enraged.
After failing to keep his shot in play, Kotov grabbed the ball and struck it forcefully into the back wall behind him, where a ball girl stood nearby.
Pavel Vyacheslavovich Kotov left a ball girl terrified at the n Open on Sunday
The ball fizzed dangerously close to the ball girl but it did not hit her as she cowered for cover.
Hitting an onlooker is grounds for disqualification, but the venemous nature of the act left a sour taste.
‘As a parent of a ballkid I find it absolutely disgusting that he was not disqualified from the AO,’ one fan said on Instagram. ‘The ballkids are all volunteers and do not deserve to feel scared or threatened whilst they are on duty.’
Another said: ‘What a feral animal. Lucky he’s a famous tennis player otherwise he would have face consequences.’
He vented his frustration in a tough five-setter against Arthur Rinderknech
A third added: ‘Tennis is a growing sport of spoilt brats that don’t know how to behave.
‘Should be a crackdown of petulance and general lack of self control. Any sport where you act out like that, rugby, football, (team sports ) you are instantly penalised.’
Another fan called for the Russian to be disqualified: ‘Should be disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct….what if he had hit her.’
It was a boisterous atmosphere on Outside Court Six, with a new Courtside Bar overlooking the court creating a party mood in Melbourne.
But Kotov’s opponent Rinderknech was far from impressed with the behaviour of some fans, and compared the scenes to that of a nightclub.
‘The bench of just three or four guys next to the court, drinking alcohol probably for quite a long time, and just shouting at me every time I was missing a first serve, especially the game I got broken as well, the whole fifth set. It doesn’t matter about this, I’m used to it, I’m fine. I should have been able to handle it.
‘But I don’t think it was really classy.’
The Frenchman added that he felt as though he was playing tennis in a nightclub, not at one of the most prestigious venues on the calendar.
‘I mean, we’re playing in a nightclub! That’s okay. I thought it was only in the US Open we could play in a nightclub. It happened today for four (hours) – I don’t even know how long we played.
Kotov’s opponent, Arthur Rinderknech, was far from impressed with fans nearby
A Courtside Bar overlooking Outside Court Six created a party atmosphere in Melbourne
‘It was just food, drinks, laughing, talking, music, different music. Everything was happening on the court!’
With Nick Kyrgios sidelined from the tournament due to injury, such explosive scenes weren’t expected at the n Open.
Kyrgios is, however, still heavily involved this year, with the 28-year-old on commentary duty for Eurosport.
The n provided his insight for Novak Djokovic’s round one clash against Dino Prizmic on Rod Laver Arena, with the Serb setting out to win the competition for an eleventh time.