French tennis player Corentin Moutet alleges that his opponent, Russia`s Pavel Kotov, issued death threats during a match, leading to a surprising confrontation.
The pair were competing in the first round of a Challenger Tour event in Aix en Provence. The match was a lengthy one and was suspended due to bad light during the deciding set, with the score tied at 7-5, 3-6, 5-5.
As the players were leaving the court ahead of the resumption of play, Moutet claims Kotov threatened him.
Moutet, who reached the fourth round of the French Open last year, alleged in a social media post, which has since been deleted, that his opponent said: “Next time you come to the net, I`ll kill you. One day, someone will kill you.”
He also expressed his frustration with the lack of immediate action from officials, stating: “There wasn`t even a warning. Apparently, those words are allowed on court. How do you (the ATP) expect me not to get involved if you don`t do your job?”
After deleting the initial post, Moutet responded to a news account covering the allegations, commenting that he would “have trouble sleeping” because of the incident.
Pavel Kotov, a former world No. 50, has reportedly not yet made a public statement regarding Moutet`s claims.
The match continued the following morning, with Moutet ultimately winning the final set 7-5. Following the victory, he celebrated demonstrably, and there was no handshake between the two players at the net.
Both athletes have previous records of on-court controversies. Moutet was involved in a heated exchange with Alexander Bublik just six weeks prior, where Bublik suggested they settle their dispute off-court. Kotov was criticized last year at the Australian Open for aggressively hitting a ball near a ballgirl, which was reported to have caused her significant distress.
