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Tensions run high during the Challenger tennis event in France as Corentin Moutet and Adrian Andreev BARGE and SLIDE each other and have to be split up by the referee in front of a shocked crowd after the Bulgarian allegedly ‘f*** you’ to the Frenchman said
- Two players must be separated by the referee after touching the net
- The lower ranked player, Adrian Andreev, defeated Corentin Moutet 2-6 7-6 7-6
- Andreev claimed to have told him ‘f*** you’ twice in the match by Moutet
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Rarely considered one of the more confrontational sports, tennis players Adrian Andreev and Corentin Moutet seemed to let the mask slip when they nearly got into a fistfight at the Open d’Orleans in France on Thursday.
Bulgarian Andreev, 247th in the world ranking, defeated French-born Moutet, 64th, 2-6 7-6 7-6 before the two players had to be split by the umpire at the end of the match.
In footage filmed from the stands at the end of the event, both players approached and reached the net in the traditionally benign manner expected of tennis stars.
However, it is when the players started to get close that the traditional well-mannered embrace would not go the way the tennis authorities or supporters wanted.
When Andreev and Moutet hugged, they gripped each other a little too tightly, causing them to shrug and attack each other. As they continued to hold hands as they moved past the net to the referee’s seat, the two players exchanged words.
Moutet told the press in an interview after his defeat that he had been told ‘f*** you’ twice by the Bulgarian Andreev. It is not clear whether any of these cases have occurred on the net.
The two players got into an argument at the net after a hard-fought match that the Bulgarian won
A few seconds later, the incident looked like it could boil over with both players raising their arms toward each other.
Andreev kept saying things to Moutet the Frenchman disagreed with as he pushed his opponent one more time. With neither player appearing willing to back down, the umpire had to step in when he split the two before the incident got more serious.
Moutet posted on social media after his defeat, bemoaning his opponent’s behavior throughout the match, saying he was “threatened” by Andreev.
Adrian Andreev and Corentin Moutet almost saw their post-match hug turn into a full fight before the referee intervened
The two continued the attack after going past the net before the referee jumped in
“I don’t want to apologize for what happened late in the game,” wrote the world’s number 64.
“If a player allows himself to say ‘f*** you’ twice while looking me in the eye, I can’t help but make him understand in my own way that these aren’t things that get done.
“He threatened me and asked me to wait for him at the exit of the court… something I did of course, I’m having a hard time finding him for 10 minutes.
The referee’s quick intervention saved the players – and the event – great embarrassment
“Indeed, he was hiding behind six security guards on the other side.”
“I’ve heard your threats, so if you come out of the room they’ve been hiding in, I’ll be very happy if you carry them out,” he added. “So I’m waiting impatiently for you, we can talk quietly.”
Moutet, who was seeded first to the tournament after receiving a wildcard, apologized to the organizers for his early departure.
“I did my best, I would have liked to go further to honor it better,” he said. ‘Sorry.’
Andreev, ranked 247th in the world, emerged victorious after dumping the tournament’s No. 1
Moutet, ranked 64 in the world and photographed during the fourth round of this year’s US Open, apologized to the organizers for his departure