'Handshake fight' between Corentin Moutet and Adrian Andreev over ‘f*** you’ taunt mars Open d'Orleans match
ORLEANS, FRANCE: It was an ugly scene as tennis players Adrian Andreev and Corentin Moutet almost came to blows at the Open d'Orleans in France on Thursday, September 29.
The incident occurred after the Bulgarian Andreev, ranked 247th in the world, beat 64th seed Moutet, a native of France, 2-6 7-6 7-6. The two players had to be separated by the umpire at the end of the match. Footage of the incident taken from the stands showed both players approaching the net in the sportsmanship-like way expected of tennis stars. But things turned awry as Andreev and Moutet reached out for the 'friendly' handshake-slash-embrace at the nets at the end of the match, each gripping the other too tightly in a show of dominance.
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After the aggressive embrace, the players began shoulder-barging one another. The two exchanged words as they moved along the net towards the umpire's chair while continuing to grip each other's hands. Following his defeat, Moutet told reporters that Andreev yelled "f*** you" at him on two separate occasions. The incident appeared like it could boil over at any moment as both players raised their arms at one another. At one point, the Frenchman shoved his opponent, prompting the umpire to race down the ladder and split the two up before things escalated any further.
Moutet took to social media following his defeat, blasting his opponent's conduct throughout the match. He said he was "threatened" by Andreev. “I wish to make no apologies for what happened late in the game,” he wrote. “When a player says ‘f–k you' twice while looking at me in the eye, I can’t help but make him understand in my own way that is not done.”
The 64th seed also slammed the audience for applauding his opponent and claimed the latter wanted to resume hostilities off the court. “You (the crowd) applauded the player at the end of the match,” Moutet said. “Maybe, for you, these are acceptable things. For me, no. In any case, he threatened me and asked me to wait at the exit of the court, which I obviously did. I had trouble finding him for 10 minutes. Indeed, he was hidden on the other side by 6 security people. I heard your threats so when you get out of the room where they hid you, I’ll be happy to see you carry them out. So, I’m waiting impatiently, we can talk calmly.” However, referring to the wildcard he was handed by the organizers, Moutet concluded, "I did my best, I would have liked to go further to honor it better. I'm sorry for it."
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That said, this is not the first time Moutet has courted controversy on court this year. The 23-year-old was disqualified at the Adelaide International in January for swearing at the chair umpire after he lost his second-round match against Laslo Dere, the New York Post reported.