Roberto Bautista Agut accidentally hit a ball that struck a ball-boy in the head during his third-round loss to David Goffin at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters on Thursday. Bautista Agut fired a ball in frustration toward the net after getting broken in the second set, just as the unsuspecting ball-boy was crossing to the other side of the court.
Code violation, Mr. Bautista Agut. Unsportsman conduct.
"Head-shot to ball-kid"#RolexMCMasters #MonteCarloMasters pic.twitter.com/gSniig5LzN
— Ardeal (@UnArdeal) April 19, 2018
Bautista Agut (info – @enricomariariva )(🎥@TennisTV ) pic.twitter.com/37JjXELI0M
— doublefault28 (@doublefault28) April 19, 2018
The Spaniard was given only a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct, which he argued.
Goffin ended up winning the match 6-4, 7-5.
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thoughts?
Warning was enough. It’s normal for frustrated players to hit the ball down middle of the court into the net and the kid happened to be running across. Didn’t hit him hard either so the warning was enough imo
he was looking down wasn’t even paying attention. he was lackadaisical throughout the match. his head in space. warning was enough
The best part of the match was when he finally managed to get back into the match at the end, and his ball was called out, inches from the line, and he looked at the woman umpire and pleaded, “No..” As if to say: Please no, why u do dis…
Interesting that Goffin thought that Batista-Agut got off too lightly; afterwards he said he thought Roberto should have automatically forfeited, which is the rule.
Well, as an athlete, I would have to agree with Goffin, and I’d be upset too, because the match was over, so naturally Goffin let his guard down up 5-1 in the second, and wanted to just go through the motions of ending the match. But of course Bautista Agut wants to drag out the match until the end. I know they teach you not to quit, but is it really quitting when you never really started playing? Agut should of not showed up, nor should he of hit that poor little boy just chasing the ball.