Corentin Moutet, the French tennis player known for his volatile on-court demeanor, has once again found himself in hot water after smashing his racquet during his first-round match at Wimbledon. The incident occurred after Moutet overhit a lob to lose the third set against American Marcos Giron. He attempted to break the racquet over his knee, failing twice before succeeding on the third try. He then handed the remains to a young spectator, an act that drew applause from the crowd but resulted in a code violation from the umpire.
Moutet's frustrations were evident throughout the match. He was heard complaining about multiple line calls and shouting obscenities in French, in addition to berating himself for his shot selection. Earlier in the match, he struck an elderly spectator with a wayward serve, for which he later apologized.
This latest episode follows a recent controversy at the Queen's Club, where Moutet was fined approximately $40,000 (£30,325) for repeatedly using expletives during a televised on-court interview. During the interview, he dropped the F-bomb seven times, leading to a premature end to the exchange and apologies from the BBC interviewer and studio commentators.
Moutet's history includes several other on-court incidents, such as throwing his racquet and directing insults at umpires. In a past match, he was involved in a heated exchange with Alexander Bublik, which escalated to the point where Bublik invited Moutet outside for a fight. He has also defaulted from matches due to verbal altercations with officials and was once involved in a physical confrontation with an opponent.
His on-court behavior has also drawn attention off the court. He previously claimed to have received a death threat from an opponent. Additionally, former player Danielle Collins accused Moutet of flirtatious behavior, which he vehemently denied, criticizing the media coverage of the incident. Moutet is scheduled to face world No. 2 Jannik Sinner in the Round of 32.