British tennis player Cameron Norrie apologizes after accidentally hitting fan with racket
3 min read
British tennis player Cameron Norrie issued an apology after inadvertently striking a spectator with his racket during his 6-2, 6-3 loss to Facundo Díaz Acosta at the Auckland Classic.
The 29-year-old, who was once ranked No. 8 in the world, threw his racket backward in frustration after hitting the net on match point, which caused it to fly into the stands. The spectator raised her hands in an attempt to avoid being hit in the face but was lightly grazed by the flying racket.
While Norrie received a warning for the incident, he managed to avoid disqualification. The fan involved seemed unfazed by the accident, even laughing off the situation.
Norrie quickly apologized to the woman, acknowledging that the incident had been a wake-up call for him. He spoke to Radio New Zealand (RNZ) after the match, expressing regret for his actions. “I apologized to the woman, and she was okay … it barely touched her, and she was laughing. But I didn’t mean to do that, and it was definitely a wake-up call,” Norrie explained.
Reflecting on the match and his performance, he continued, “I wanted to come here and play well, and it ended up being the complete opposite. I was not feeling comfortable. I was throwing my racket—that’s not like me at all.” The frustration seemed to stem from his struggle on court, and Norrie recognized how easily such incidents could escalate. “As we saw with some other players, you can easily be defaulted if it catches them in the wrong spot or they’re not looking or something,” he said, referring to the possible consequences of a similar accident. “I was not meaning to do that and it is completely not me to do something like that. I apologized very quickly, and I want to apologize in general. I’m not happy with how I behaved.”
The incident raised comparisons to previous high-profile defaults in tennis. Notably, Novak Djokovic was disqualified from the 2020 US Open after unintentionally hitting a ball at a line judge, while Denis Shapovalov was also defaulted in 2017 after striking the umpire with a ball during a Davis Cup tie. In contrast, other players like Stefanos Tsitsipas were fined for similar behavior. Tsitsipas, for example, hit a ball into the stands at Wimbledon 2022 during a heated third-round match against Nick Kyrgios but avoided disqualification, instead receiving a $10,000 fine.
As for the match, Díaz Acosta, who was the victor, is set to face Argentine compatriot Sebastián Báez in the Round of 16. Norrie, who is from Auckland, will now shift his focus to the Australian Open, which is set to begin soon. He had a solid performance at last year’s Australian Open, reaching the fourth round before being knocked out by Alexander Zverev.
Despite his early exit in Auckland, Norrie’s apology and acknowledgment of his actions highlight his commitment to maintaining respect for the sport and its fans. The incident served as a reminder of how quickly emotions can escalate in competitive tennis, and Norrie’s swift and sincere response underscored his professionalism and character. Moving forward, Norrie will aim to channel his energy more productively as he prepares for the upcoming challenges at the Australian Open, looking to build on his successful 2022 campaign.
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