Young tennis star Michael Kouame slapped his opponent Raphael Nii Ankrah after losing the ITF Juniors World Tour match
A shocking video has surfaced on the internet from an ITF Junior tennis match played at the Accra Sports stadium in Ghana. 15-year-old French player Michael Kouame is seen slapping his opponent Raphael Nii Ankrah after losing the match. At the end of the match, Kouame approached the net seems to shake hands with his opponent but when Raphael got close to the net, Kouame slapped him in the face. The incident created chaos on the court with players’ support staff and others present adding to the ruckus.
The teenager further wrote, “During the course of the match, I was repeatedly verbally abused by a large number of individuals in the crowd, including insults to my mother in particular. However, that does not excuse my behaviour. I accept any consequences as a result of my behaviour from the ITF governing body and will use this time to reflect on how I can better manage challenging situations like these in the future in a manner that accurately reflects my character.”
The ATP has recently taken strict measures and announced heavier penalties for misconduct. In an official statement, the ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi stated, “Effective immediately and as we head into the clay-court swing, the ATP officiating team has been directed to take a stricter stance in judging violations of the Code of Conduct. Additionally, we are also undertaking a review of the code as well as the disciplinary processes to ensure that it provides appropriate and up-to-date penalties for serious violations and repeat offenders.”
The governing body is already looking into the Koaume-Ankrah incident.
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