Marc Polmans of Australia was on the verge of qualifying for the Shanghai Masters when he lost a match point and vented his frustration on the ball.
Marc Polmans of Australia was disqualified from the Shanghai Masters on Tuesday after hitting the umpire in the face with a ball on match point.
When the event occurred, Polmans, who is ranked 140th in the world, was one point away from qualifying for the Shanghai Masters main draw.
He had won the first set 7-6 and was ahead 6-5 in the second set tiebreak with a match point on the line when he netted his volley.
Instead of regrouping, he became enraged and destroyed the ball. As a result, he smacked the umpire in the face at high speed and from close range, while being only four yards away from the chair.
Polmans, 26, approached the umpire to inquire about his condition but was instantly penalized for the reckless outburst. Instead, his Italian opponent, Stefano Napolitano, advanced to the main draw of the ATP Masters 1000 event.
What Does The ATP Rulebook Says?
According to the ATP rulebook, “players shall not hit, kick, or throw a tennis ball while on the grounds of the tournament site violently, dangerously, or with anger,” and ball abuse includes “intentionally or recklessly hitting a ball with disregard for the consequences.”
In circumstances when a person is damaged as a result of an unsportsmanlike behavior offense, there is an automatic default.
Polmans’ Compatriot On Twitter
Polmans’ compatriot and past Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios reacted on Twitter by speculating on how much he would be fined. “Interested to see what the fine will be,” Kyrgios commented, along with a laughing emoji.
“All things considered (15 thousand pounds) for the bottle shake at Queens,” he wrote, referring to a £13,000 fine he received in 2018 at London’s Queen’s Club for performing an inappropriate action with a water bottle.
Kyrgios is no new to racking up fines, and comparable events to Polmans’ have occurred throughout the tour.
Denis Shapovalov was defaulted and fined $7,000 in 2017 after inadvertently hitting an official with the ball during Great Britain’s Davis Cup victory against Canada, in an emotional outburst similar to Polmans’.
At the US Open in 2020, Novak Djokovic became the sixth player in history to be forfeited from a major tournament when he mistakenly hit a ball at a line judge’s throat during his fourth-round match.
He was docked the $250,000 in prize money and ranking points he had won up to that time, as well as a $10,000 punishment for unsportsmanlike behavior.
Miyu Kato, a Japanese doubles player, was disqualified from the French Open earlier this year after hitting a ball girl in the neck.
Though most thought the punishment was excessive because Kato was passing the ball back to the ball girl rather than reacting in fury, her appeal was denied and she forfeited ranking points for reaching the third round as well as prize money per Grand Slam rules.
