A junior Italian tennis player has been disqualified from the Australian Open after she hit a ball into a ball kid out of frustration after losing a point.
17-year-old Maria Vittoria Viviani had just lost the opening set 6-2 to Chinese opponent Xin Yu Wang when she struck the ball into the chest of a nearby ball kid. She was seen to raise her hand in apology as soon as she hit the ball.
The force was described as minimal, but the umpire wasn’t having it. Viviani was disqualified from the tournament and left the court in tears.
Maria Vittoria Viviani was defaulted in her R1 junior match for this… pic.twitter.com/6HnUeuBDK6
— Graham (@juki_tennis) January 22, 2017
On the same day, Japan’s Kei Nishikori also struck a ball kid after hitting a ball away softly after a sret – but this accidental contact was not punished.
There’s a lesson here: don’t be a ball kid. They’re out for your blood.
Source: Sydney Morning Herald.
Photo: Australian Open.
