It’s been a big week for professional tennis, and I’m not talking about the game itself.
According to the New York Post, tennis umpire Gianluca Moscarella was suspended after he made inappropriate comments about a ball girl at the ATP Tour Challenger match between Italy’s Enrico Dalla Valle and Portugal’s Pedro Sousa over the weekend.
In a series of clips posted to YouTube, Moscarella is heard allegedly saying “you are fantastic,” and “very sexy,” to the ball girl. He was also recorded telling a player to “stay focused,” during the match.
In a statement, the ATP Tour said, “Moscarella was immediately dismissed from the tournament when the matter was brought to light, and a full investigation has been initiated.”
“Meanwhile, Moscarella has been provisionally suspended from his services as a contracted ATP Official pending the results of the investigation.”
Moscarella’s misconduct wasn’t the only controversy to come out of the tennis world this week. During a match between Shuai Zhang and Angelique Kerber at the China Open, a brawl broke out involving members of Zhang’s players box.
According to News.com.au, Zhang’s camp “were frustrated by a fan who was aggressively cheering Kerber behind them.” Another report states the Kerber fan “yelled slurs at Zhang’s mother and spat at her,” another witness reported that he slapped her.
“The unfortunate incident which occurred after a match (Sunday) night has been investigated and resolved,” the Women’s Tennis Association said in a statement. “The individual involved, a guest of Zhang Shuai’s father, will not be returning to the China Open this week.”
All of this week’s tennis-related controversy comes just one month after Aussie player Nick Kyrgios was fined $113,000 for smashing two rackets and calling chair umpire Fergus Murphy a “f*cking tool.”
Wow, who would’ve thought a few balls and rackets could cause so much drama.