Adrian Mannarino was the centerpiece of a crazy event that took place in the Ken Rosewall Arena at the United Cup in Perth.
The Frenchman slammed his tennis racquet on his forehead and injured himself. The bizarre incident took place after he had already secured the win in the first set.
Lorenzo Sonego, then, secured two quick points to go 30-0 up in the second set and was on the edge to break serve when the incident took place. Frustrated by allowing the Italian an opening in the second set, Adrian hit himself with the edgy part of his racquet’s handle. The hits bruised his forehead and caused the blood to flow down his head.
Have a look at the Frenchman’s actions :
Adrian Mannarino hit himself in the head with his racquet & drew blood.
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 3, 2024
Brings back flashbacks of Mikhail Youzhny.
Painful to watch.
pic.twitter.com/qUjt2LZIjK
However, after being granted a medical timeout to treat the wound, the World No. 22 came back stronger and won the match in straight sets.
Mannarino won the match 6-4, 6-4. The win contributed to the French team defeating Italy 3-0 and becoming the table toppers of Group D in the United Cup.
The Frenchman praised his opponent, Sonego, for giving him a tough fight in the Group D match.
“It’s always a tough match with him and in the second set I felt it could go either way. I was lucky at four-all to go to the break up and everything went my way today.”
Aussie great Wally Masur criticizes Adrian Mannarino’s actions and points out key loopholes in the timeout given
Adrian Mannarino’s on-court self-harm incident has drawn criticism from former Australian tennis player and coach Wally Masur.
The Australian ex-coach warned that if incidents like these are allowed to get a medical timeout, it can be easily used by other players as a strategic move to fend off tough situations in a close match.
Speaking to broadcasting channel Nine, the Australian said :
“If (it) is self-inflicted, can you have a timeout? You can’t injure yourself, can you?”
“Let’s say you’re in a tricky situation, you go, ‘Right, I’m going to bash myself with a racquet and get a breather’. Why has this taken so long? Get one of those little band aids, the round ones. This does not constitute a medical timeout, in my opinion.”
“This is not a good look for the sport… This is not necessary. The way the trainers are carrying on, you would think he requires stitches. Blood is not streaming from his head. It is like a pinprick. I have seen it all now.”
