Lorenzo Musetti booked his place in the semi-finals of the French Open, but not without controversy.
The Italian star had advanced to the quarterfinals with an impressive win on Sunday, when Musetti beat Holger Rune in four sets, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Competing in his first French Open quarterfinal, Musetti was arguably the favorite, taking on America’s Frances Tiafoe.
Musetti battled through in four sets once more, taking down Tiafoe, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2, setting up an intriguing semi-final clash with either Tommy Paul or Carlos Alcaraz.
As Musetti now looks ahead to the semi-finals, some may argue he’ll be lucky to do so, after narrowly avoiding a disqualification during the match.
Rennae Stubbs says Lorenzo Musetti was ‘very lucky’ to not be defaulted after kicking a ball at an official
Growing frustrated against Tiafoe, Musetti’s frustration boiled over, kicking a ball with some force in the direction of a line umpire.
The ball appeared to hit the umpire, as the Italian quickly offered up an apology for the incident.
Musetti received a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct, although former doubles number one Rennae Stubbs believes he was lucky to avoid a more severe punishment.
“Wow [Lorenzo] Musetti is very lucky to still be on court right now,” she said.
“You cannot kick a ball and it hit the lines person and not be defaulted.”
The American further expressed her shock over the incident in a separate post, reiterating that he could ‘easily’ have been defaulted.
“I know he didn’t mean it but no one does, man, this is bad,” added Stubbs.
“He’s out there playing right, knowing he could easily have been in the locker room.”
Stubbs isn’t wrong, as similar offences have often been met with disqualifications in years gone by.
Times players have been disqualified for hitting a ball at tournament officials
Over the years, several players have been disqualified from tournaments after hitting a ball at an official.
| Event | Player(s) defaulted | Notes |
| 1995 Wimbledon | Tim Henman | Disqualified from doubles event after Tim Henman hit a ball girl with a ball |
| 1997 Miami Open | Mariano Zabaleta | Disqualified from singles event after Mariano Zabaleta hit a line judge with a ball |
| 2017 Davis Cup | Denis Shapovalov | Disqualified from match after hitting chair umpire with a ball |
| 2020 US Open | Novak Djokovic | Disqualified from singles event after hitting a lineswoman with a ball |
| 2023 Shanghai Masters | Marc Polmans | Disqualified from singles event after hitting ball to umpire |
Former world number four Tim Henman was disqualified for accidentally hitting a ball girl with a ball at Wimbledon 30 years ago.
Speaking to TNT Sports after the match, Henman gave his verdict on the controversial incident.
“By the letter of the law, if you kick or hit a ball away in frustration and it hits a line judge or the umpire, that can be a disqualification,” he said.
“When you look at that, the umpire could have interpreted that as a disqualification.
“However, if Musetti was disqualified for that, I think Musetti would feel very unlucky and aggrieved. But when you are kicking the ball away, you have to be a better footballer and kick it in the right direction, or you are risking something like that.
“Coming from a person who got disqualified 30 years ago.”
Henman may have been one of the first players to receive a disqualification for such an incident, but he wasn’t the biggest.
Five years ago, at the US Open, number one seed Novak Djokovic trailed Pablo Carreno Busta 5-6 in the first set of their last 16 match when he hit a ball toward a line judge.
In one of the most shocking moments in the history of the US Open, Djokovic was defaulted from the tournament.
Musetti was lucky to avoid the same fate as he now prepares for his semi-final match at Roland Garros.
The 23-year-old will take on the winner of Paul and Alcaraz’s quarterfinal match later this week.
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