Lorenzo Musetti narrowly avoided disqualification from the French Open after kicking a ball that struck a line judge during his quarter-final victory over Frances Tiafoe on Tuesday.
The world No. 7 seed progressed to his first Roland Garros semi-final with a 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 win.
The incident occurred when Musetti was trailing 3-5 in the second set. After dropping a ball behind the baseline while receiving balls from a ball boy, the 23-year-old swung his left foot at it.
The ball unintentionally hit the female line judge in the chest, and Musetti immediately moved towards her, holding his racket up in apology.
Lorenzo Musetti received a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct after this incident 😳 #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/ted26XaBUv
— TNT Sports (@tntsports) June 3, 2025
He received only a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct from chair umpire Timo Janzen.
Tiafoe expressed strong criticism of the decision after the match, calling it "comical".
"Yeah, I mean, obviously he did that and nothing happened. I think that's comical, but it is what it is," the American said in his press conference.
The 27-year-old highlighted what he perceived as inconsistent application of the rules by officials.
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Lorenzo Musetti kicked the ball on the half-volley straight at the line judge
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"Nothing happened, so there's nothing really to talk about. Obviously it's not consistent, so it is what it is."
The 15th seed had drawn the umpire's attention to the incident when he went to change racquets.
Despite his frustration with the officiating, Tiafoe didn't attribute his defeat to the controversial moment, having levelled the match before Musetti secured a crucial break in the third set.
The incident drew immediate comparisons to Novak Djokovic's disqualification from the 2020 US Open.
Djokovic was defaulted after hitting a ball from his pocket behind him with his racket, accidentally striking a female line judge in the throat.
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Tim Henman was also famously disqualified from a Wimbledon men's doubles match in 1995 when he accidentally hit a ball girl in the head.
Speaking on TNT Sports, Henman explained the regulations: "By the letter of the law, if you hit or kick a ball away in frustration and it hits a ball boy or a line judge or the umpire, that can be a disqualification."
The former British number one acknowledged that "the umpire could have interpreted that as a disqualification."
Henman suggested the Italian would have felt "very unlucky and very aggrieved" if disqualified, but warned: "When you kick the ball away, you've either got to be a better footballer and hit it in the right direction or you are risking something like that."
Boris Becker defended the umpire's decision: "You can't disqualify Musetti over something like that. The warning was justified, but you can't compare it to Djokovic."
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Lorenzo Musetti celebrated getting to the semi-final of the French Open
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However, some fans took to social media, calling the decision "a disgrace" and criticised "the inconsistency and double standards in decision-making."
Musetti described the incident as an "unlucky coincidence" in his post-match press conference: "I was a little bit, honestly, scared, because I really didn't want to harm nobody, of course.
"So, I immediately went to the line umpire, and I of course said, Sorry, I apologise to everyone."
The Italian believed the umpire made the correct decision.
He explained: "It was right to have a warning, but I think the umpire saw that there was no intention about that, and that's why probably just, you know, let me continue my game."
Despite the controversy, Musetti advanced to face either Carlos Alcaraz or Tommy Paul in Friday's semi-final.
He becomes the third Italian, after Matteo Berrettini and Jannik Sinner, to reach Grand Slam semi-finals on multiple surfaces.
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