(VIDEO) Corentin Moutet meltdown at Mallorca Open: Refuses to play after net violation call

Corentin Moutet was once again in the spotlight during his match against Learner Tien at the Mallorca Open. The controversy arose after he refused to continue playing following a heated exchange with the chair umpire. The talented Frenchman showed his full annoyance after tripping and falling into the net on a point that the umpire subsequently awarded to his opponent.

After comfortably securing the first set 6-2, the unseeded player's composure frayed in the opening game of the second. Serving at 1-0 in the second set, Moutet executed a winning serve-and-volley. However, in the follow-through of his volley, his body inadvertently made contact with the net before the ball's second bounce. Under the sport's rules, this automatically awarded the point to his opponent, a non-negotiable infraction.

Moutet immediately confronted the chair umpire, vehemently challenging the ruling and appealing to the official's discretion. He argued, "I almost got injured because of the court condition and the point was won."

Expressing his disbelief, he added, "He had no chance of getting the ball back! It's crazy! I don't care about the rules! There are rules, and then there's the reality of the sport!" Moutet continued, "I've been playing tennis for twenty years, I know the rules, but here you just have to make an obvious decision and not just give the result."

Refusing to resume play, he demanded the intervention of the supervisor, who had witnessed the scene from the sideline and confirmed the umpire's decision. For several minutes, discussions continued between the inflexible officials and the furious player, who was willing to stop the match over what he mistakenly considered an injustice.

Finally, Moutet returned to the court to continue the confrontation against the 19-year-old American. He eventually secured the victory 6-2, 7-5 to advance to the semifinals in Mallorca. This marks the first tournament this season where Moutet has reached the semifinals, guaranteeing him a rise of 8 positions to world No. 75. His next opponent will be the winner between Alex Michelsen (3rd) and Roberto Bautista-Agut (7th).