Tennis fans at the Open Occitanie were left stunned Monday after a freak on-court accident forced Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard to retire mid-match — after the ball ricocheted straight into his own eye.
The bizarre incident unfolded during Mpetshi Perricard’s first-round matchup against fellow Frenchman Arthur Gea at the Open Occitanie tournament in Montpellier, France. Trailing 5–3 in the opening set, the world No. 57 attempted to blast a return down the line, but the ball clipped his racket frame and shot back toward his face.
The ball struck Mpetshi Perricard directly in the eye, sending him collapsing to the court in visible pain. A shocked silence fell over the crowd inside Sud de France Arena as medical staff rushed onto the court to treat the 22-year-old.
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After several tense minutes, Mpetshi Perricard tried to continue playing despite a visibly bloodshot eye. He managed to complete just one more point before ultimately retiring from the match, conceding the first set 6–3.
Gea later addressed the unsettling moment, expressing concern for his opponent. “It’s never easy to see a friend injured,” he said. “It’s never easy to see this.”
The injury also appears to have disrupted Mpetshi Perricard’s doubles plans. He had been scheduled to compete Tuesday alongside Stan Wawrinka, but that matchup did not take place following the incident.
The sudden exit adds to a difficult stretch for Mpetshi Perricard, who surged into the ATP top 30 in 2024 before struggling to maintain momentum. He entered the Montpellier tournament coming off a first-round loss at the Australian Open to Sebastián Báez.
As of now, Mpetshi Perricard has not publicly commented on the injury, and it remains unclear how long he may be sidelined.
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