Gael Monfils expelled from UTS after injuring tournament supervisor.
Gael Monfils (Credit: Fox News)
has been dismissed from the Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) in Oslo after exhibiting unsportsmanlike conduct that violated tournament regulations. The UTS stated that the French player’s behavior constituted a breach of the tournament’s code of conduct towards the tournament supervisor.
Patrick Mouratoglou’s UTS concept features players competing in quarters or groups instead of the sets used in ATP matches. Additionally, tournament supervisors possess cards that grant them the authority to issue peculiar disqualifications during and prior to the start of the tournament. The tournament commenced on February 9 and will conclude on February 11, 2024.
On the first day of the competition, Holger Rune emerged victorious over Dominic Thiem in Group A (referred to as the “group of death”), while Monfils suffered a defeat against Alex de Minaur with scores of 12-15, 8-17, 9-16, in which the 34-year-old played fairly. In last year’s UTS Grand Final in London, Monfils requested a medical timeout, which was not permitted under the tournament format, resulting in an argument.
Yesterday, a lighthearted exchange between Gael Monfils and tournament supervisor Stephane Apostolou in the locker room resulted in a minor injury to the supervisor. UTS is fully confident that Gael had no malicious intent, but due to the injury sustained by the… pic.twitter.com/JUDiJuq4mO
This time, it was a playful interaction that took place inside the locker room, which was captured by the camera and brought to the attention of the organizers. UTS released a statement condemning Monfils’ behavior, which stated:
Now, Lucas Pouille will step in to replace the disqualified Monfils. This incident appears to be a source of embarrassment for the French player, especially since he had previously expressed reaching the peak of his career. However, the video capturing the incident has yet to be made public for tennis fans to gain insight into what transpired.
The UTS tournament in Oslo, Norway, will feature several Top-20 players such as Casper Ruud and Holger Rune. Despite facing criticism from the Chief of the Open 13 Provence, the competition is generating interest among Scandinavians, who view it as a contest of heritage.
In Group A, Casper Ruud, also known as The Iceman, currently holds the top position, followed by Dane Holger Rune. Rune has already defeated Dominic Thiem in the opening match and will now face the fourth player in the group, Alexander Bublik.
Andrey Rublev leads in Group B, alongside Alex de Minuar and Lucas Pouille, who have replaced Gael Monfils and Benoit Paire. The top two players from each group will advance to the semifinals to determine who will compete in the final.
According to the Source firstsportz.com