(VIDEO) Pavel Kotov gets away with potential disqualification after leaving ball girl terrified in Australian Open outburst

Pavel Kotov was lucky to escape without a disqualification after a horrific incident at the 2024 Australian Open leaving a ball girl terrified. The Russian saw off Arthur Rinderknech in five sets and it seems the occasion got to him at times.

Kotov exploded in an outburst as he struck a ball with great pace at the direction of a ball girl nearby smashing the back wall. Thankfully though it did not hit her and so he escaped potential consequence.

But while he didn't hit the ball girl in the end, it still left a sour taste as fans on social media weighed in.

Read also

Matteo Berrettini withdraws from Australian Open and Stefanos Tsitsipas to face Zizou Bergs

'As a parent of a ballkid I find it absolutely disgusting that he was not disqualified from the AO,' one fan said on Instagram. 'The ballkids are all volunteers and do not deserve to feel scared or threatened whilst they are on duty.'

Another said: 'What a feral animal. Lucky he's a famous tennis player otherwise he would have face consequences.'

A third added: 'Tennis is a growing sport of spoilt brats that don’t know how to behave." Already controversy only hours into the first Grand Slam of the season.

Read also

TV GUIDE: How to watch or stream tennis starting with the Australian Open 2024