- Paul Vyacheslavovich Kotov’s outburst has rocked the Australian Open
- The Russian almost hit a ball girl after smashing the ball near her
- Furious fans have called for the 25-year-old to be disqualified
Pavel Vyacheslavovich Kotov was lucky not to be disqualified at the Australian 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 Australian 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.’
With Nick Kyrgios sidelined from the tournament due to injury, such explosive scenes weren’t expected at the Australian Open.
Kyrgios is, however, still heavily involved this year, with the 28-year-old on commentary duty for Eurosport.
The Australian 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.