Lorenzo Musetti is just one win away from a place in the French Open final, with Carlos Alcaraz standing in his way.
But former player Rennae Stubbs thinks Musetti should have been disqualified from the French Open after an incident in his quarter-final.
Taking on Frances Tiafoe at the French Open, ATP number seven Musetti let his frustrations boil over as he kicked a ball in the direction of a line umpire.
The ball struck the line umpire, with the Italian apologising as he received a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Andy Roddick wants consistency with the default rule, with Musetti’s lack of disqualification in stark contrast to Novak Djokovic’s at the 2020 US Open.
Jack Sock says if he thinks Lorenzo Musetti deserved French Open disqualification
Djokovic accidentally hit a line judge during his fourth round meeting with Pablo Carreno Busta at Flushing Meadows, and was disqualified from the Grand Slam.
Former professional Jack Sock has now shared his verdict on Musetti, saying on the Nothing Major Show: “It’s always tough but I think, honestly, at the end of the day rules are rules.
“It has happened to other players. I don’t know, I would love to hear Novak’s take on it after what happened to him at the Open one year.
“Technically the rule is that he probably should have been defaulted from the match, you are not allowed to hit a linesman or people around the court. But I don’t know, honestly, I don’t really know what to think about it.”
John Isner shares verdict on controversial Lorenzo Musetti French Open incident
Like Musetti, Djokovic apologised to the line judge after his mistake, which was much more dramatic than the Italian’s.
The actions were, however, arguably the exact same, regardless of the outcome with those on the receiving end.
Djokovic was visibly frustrated after being on the wrong end of the ruling, while Musetti seemingly recovered quickly to battle past Tiafoe.
The French Open eighth seed will now be fully focused on his semi-final with Alcaraz, although his close call will likely help him learn a valuable lesson going forward.
Another former player in John Isner also gave his take on the latest incident, responding to Sock: “I am with you.
“I just think if the umpire that Musetti hit with that kick took a fall and acted like she got shot by a gun or something, I think he would have been kicked out because that’s what happened in New York when Novak fired the ball.
“It was a big thing and she fell to the ground and maybe it looked a lot worse than it was. This girl she just sort of shrugged it off. So in my mind I think what was not done was correct.
“I don’t think Musetti should have been kicked out or lost this match because of that but it is a bit inconsistent because we have seen in other scenarios.”
Musetti’s opponent Tiafoe certainly wasn’t happy with the lack of action taken in Paris, having been almost lost for words when speaking after the match.
Clearly a more consistent approach is needed, but that will be of very little comfort to the American after his controversial exit.
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