A professional tennis player has made a serious accusation, claiming his opponent threatened to kill him during a match.
The allegations come from French player Corentin Moutet against his Russian competitor, Pavel Kotov.
Credit: Getty
Credit: Alamy
The incident reportedly took place during their first-round match at a Challenger Tour event held in Aix-en-Provence, a town close to Marseille.
It was a prolonged match that was suspended late in the evening due to poor light. The score stood at 7-5, 3-6, 5-5 in the deciding set when play was halted.
As the players left the court ahead of resuming the match the following day, Kotov is said to have issued the death threat to Moutet.
Moutet, who reached the fourth round of the French Open last year, shared the alleged comments in a social media post that has since been removed. He claimed his opponent stated: “Next time you come to the net, I`ll kill you. One day, someone will kill you.”
He also expressed frustration, saying there was “not even a warning” regarding the use of such language on the court. Moutet questioned the governing body (ATP), asking, “How do you expect me not to get involved if you don`t do your job?”
Following the deletion of his original tweet, Moutet commented on news reports circulating about his allegations, stating he was “going to have trouble sleeping.”
Pavel Kotov, who was ranked world No. 50 last summer, has not publicly addressed the claims.
The match was completed this morning, with Moutet securing the victory with a final set score of 7-5. Moutet celebrated emphatically, and the customary post-match handshake did not occur between the two players.
Both athletes have previous instances of controversial behaviour. Corentin Moutet was recently involved in a heated exchange with Alexander Bublik, during which Bublik reportedly suggested they “meet in the car park” for a fight. Pavel Kotov was previously criticised at the Australian Open for hitting a ball in anger near a ballgirl, causing her visible distress.
