There are many ways a tennis player can react if they miss a volley on match point. Mark Polmans landed and was disqualified from the match.
The Australian player got frustrated and slammed the ball into the net during qualifying for the Shanghai Masters on Monday, causing it to accidentally bounce off referee Ben Anderson’s face. Polmans’ opponent, Stefano Napolitano, advanced to the main draw in his place.
At the moment of fate, Polmans was leading 7-6 (7-3), 6-6 (6-5). She won the second set tiebreak and was one point away from winning in straight sets, but missed a volley with her ankle to tie the score at 6-6.
Frustrated, Polmans hit the ball into the top left, the absolute worst direction.
🚨Disqualified🚨
Mark Polmans missed a volley on match point at 7-6 (3), 6-6 (6-5) and accidentally hit the referee.
As a result, Stefano Napolitano advances to the main event in Shanghai.pic.twitter.com/9izXBA1BOl
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) October 3, 2023
Hit times, Anderson was unhurt, but left the stadium with ice packs on his nose and cheeks. Polmans won a set, but was immediately disqualified, even though he was only two points away from victory.
It’s unclear whether Mr. Polmans will face further repercussions for the incident. 26 years old is ATP world rank 140thWon three career titles on the ATP Challenger Tour.
Either way, development will be costly for Polmans. would have received $18,660 Just playing in the first round in Shanghai is no small sum for a player who has spent his entire career outside the ATP top 100 in singles. His first-round opponent was also a qualifier and would have earned him $30,855 if he won. He would also have gained some important ranking points.
In return, he gets nothing.
This kind of thing is not unheard of in tennis, a sport where frustration is commonplace and you can get hit by the ball quickly. Perhaps the most infamous example in recent history was that of world No. 1 Novak Djokovic. Banished from the 2020 U.S. Open for hitting a linesman with the ball.There was also the era of Alexander Zverev. He was disqualified for hitting the umpire’s chair with his racket..
A similar incident occurred during the 2017 Davis Cup. That time, Canada’s Denis Shapovalov disciplined the referee after conceding a goal, and the entire team lost their first-round win against Great Britain. The referee was not as lucky as Anderson. He needed surgery to repair a fractured orbital bone in his left eye..
