Mikael Ymer was disqualified from the Lyon Open on Wednesday after breaking his racket on the umpire’s chair following an argument over a line.
Key points:
- Mikael Ymer was disqualified from the ATP 250 event in Lyon
- Ymer hit the umpire’s chair twice with his racket before tossing the remains over his shoulder.
- His opponent Arthur Fils will play top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the next round.
Sweden’s Ymer was playing Frenchman Arthur Fils in the round of 16 of the ATP 250 event when the 24-year-old argued with the referee over a return and pointed to a mark on the clay to make his case.
The referee said he saw the ball bounce off the line, but Ymer, world number 53, was furious that he didn’t get down from his chair to take a closer look.
“Why don’t you even go down and check the mark?” asked Ymer, referring to a game on Tuesday involving Richard Gasquet, where the same referee went to check the mark.
“Are you telling me you’re not even going to go down and check the mark?”
As the crowd jeered at her disapproval, Ymer continued her discussion with the chair umpire.
“Show me the mark on the line.
“I’ve never witnessed a referee say, ‘I’m not going to go down and check the mark.’ It does not happen”.
Ymer continued to play, but after Fils broke to lead 6-5 in the first set, the Swede lost his cool and smacked his racket twice against the side of the referee’s chair, glancing at the referee between blows.
“He’s going to go here,” the commentator said as Ymer nonchalantly tossed the remains of his racket over his shoulder before sitting down.
“I think this is done. You can’t do that.”
“There’s just no way this can continue.”
With the crowd booing loudly, the referee discussed the matter with a tournament official, who informed Ymer that he had been disqualified.
The Swede accepted the decision and congratulated Fils, who advanced to the quarterfinals where he will face top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Reuters/ABC
Charging