While the world’s attention is focused on the Wimbledon Championships, one of the most shocking meltdowns happened in an ITF junior tournament in Nairobi, Kenya.
In recent months, there have been notable cases of angry outbursts by players competing at the top level of men’s tennis, where the prize money and pressure in those tournaments are understandably high.
Andrey Rublev has frequently dominated the front pages when it comes to flying off the handle over his inability to win some matches or disputing line calls. He was infamously disqualified during the ATP 500 in Dubai earlier this year for shouting at a line judge.
That’s the same fate that reportedly followed young American Eaden-Zack Harron, who was competing in the second round of the J30 boys tournament in Nairobi against India’s Om Patel.
The 16-year-old Harron hysterically faked a retirement during the match and walked to the net to shake hands with his opponent, as can be seen in the video below.
As a baffled Patel approached him, the American withdrew his hand and continued with the match. But that was not the only eyebrow-raising incident, as the match entered a crucial juncture in the third set.
Trailing 5-6 in the decider, Harron believed that Patel’s shot, which was called in by the chair umpire, was out. The match was played on a clay court and tennis balls tend to leave a mark on contact with the surface.
The American was convinced that the ball had not caught the line and launched a tirade as he argued his case, firing one ball into the crowd and throwing his racket in disgust.
He immediately took his belongings and walked away from the scene, much to the surprise of the small pocket of tennis fans who were watching courtside. The outcome of the match has since been declared a default, which means Patel was the player who progressed into the third round.
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