French tennis star Corentin Moutet had another explosive on-court moment at the US Open, smashing his racket before eventually retiring from his match against Australian player Dane Sweeney.
Moutet was already in serious trouble when the scene unfolded. He had lost the first two sets and was trailing 3-0 in the third when frustration boiled over.
The 27-year-old destroyed his racket in anger, earning a racket abuse penalty, and then appeared ready to call it quits.
But in a bizarre twist, the umpire initially would not allow him to simply retire from the match.
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Moutet confused spectators when he walked over, shook Sweeney’s hand and also shook the umpire’s hand, seemingly signaling that the match was over.
Instead, the umpire called for a physio to come onto the court.
Moutet reportedly tried to refuse the medical visit, even though he said he was dealing with a wrist injury.
A tournament supervisor was then called out and informed him that he would need to be examined before the retirement could be officially accepted.
Eventually, the match was stopped and Moutet’s US Open run came to an end.
Afterward, Moutet explained that the wrist issue had been bothering him for months and had become too painful to continue.
“It’s my wrist, it’s been bothering me, it just won’t go away despite all the effort I’ve put in,” he said. “I don’t really know what to say about it, it’s been hurting for a long time. Since Vienna last year.”
Moutet said he had repeatedly tried to play through the injury, but doing so only led to more physical problems.
“The problem is that I tried to play, to push it every time. And that triggered pain elsewhere,” he said.
He added that after Cincinnati, he decided to step away from tennis for a period in an attempt to recover in time for the US Open.
“In Cincinnati, I decided to take a break to try and put the racket down and prepare for here,” Moutet said.
He said he continued training physically even while staying off the court.
“I worked very hard physically, without playing tennis,” he said. “It was long, it was hard, and it’s frustrating not to be ready to play the last Grand Slam of the year.”
Moutet has developed a reputation as one of tennis’ more fiery personalities, with a history of emotional outbursts and controversial moments on court.
Earlier this year, he was reportedly fined around $40,000 before Wimbledon following an expletive-filled interview with the BBC.
His latest US Open exit only added to that reputation, ending with a smashed racket, a confusing argument over whether he could retire, and a supervisor eventually stepping in before the match was finally called.