French tennis player Corentin Moutet has claimed his Russian opponent Pavel Kotov threatened to kill him during their suspended match at the Open Aix Provence Credit Agricole.
The alleged incident occurred yesterday during their first-round tie at the Challenger tournament in Aix-en-Provence.
Moutet, 26, took to social media following the match to accuse Kotov of making death threats at the net.
The post was later deleted by the Frenchman.
French tennis player Corentin Moutet has claimed his Russian opponent Pavel Kotov threatened to kill him during their suspended match at the Open Aix Provence Credit Agricole
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The match, which was suspended due to bad light, currently stands at 7-5, 3-6, 5-5, with both players having won a set apiece.
Despite the serious allegations, the players are scheduled to resume their contest today.
World No 121 Kotov has not publicly responded to the accusations made against him.
In his now-deleted social media post, Moutet claimed Kotov had told him: "Next time you come to the net, I'll kill you."
The Russian player allegedly added: "One day, someone will kill you."
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Je vais avoir du mal à dormir.. https://t.co/WtPgSG0Emx
— Corentin Moutet (@moutet99) April 30, 2025
Moutet expressed frustration at the lack of official response to the threats.
"There wasn't even a warning. Apparently, those words are allowed on court," he wrote.
He directly questioned tennis authorities, adding: "How do you (the ATP) expect me not to get involved if you don't do your job?"
After removing the initial post detailing the incident, Moutet later shared a news report about the confrontation.
He accompanied this with the comment: "I'm going to have trouble sleeping..."
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The French player appeared visibly shaken by the exchange that occurred during their tense match.
The match is set to continue today despite Moutet's apparent reluctance to face his opponent again.
A place in the second round remains at stake for both players when they return to court.
Moutet's deleted post suggested he might be unwilling to resume the contest with Kotov.
Tournament officials have not made any public statement regarding the incident.
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Neither the ATP nor the tournament organisers have announced any disciplinary action against Kotov.
The scheduled continuation indicates that officials expect both players to complete their first-round match as planned.
This is not Moutet's first controversial incident on the tennis tour.
He was recently involved in a heated exchange with world No 75 Alexander Bublik.
During that confrontation, the Kazakh player challenged Moutet to "meet in the car park".
"You want to fight? The French kid is speaking and he doesn't want to fight," Bublik said after both players had shaken hands with the umpire.
Corentin Moutet's match with opponent Pavel Kotov is set to resume today
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He continued: "Let's go. We meet in 10 minutes outside."
Moutet also clashed with an umpire during last year's Madrid Open.
The dispute arose when he was denied permission to drink coffee during his four-hour match against Shang Jungcheng.
When told "we don't provide coffee," Moutet launched into a tirade about refreshments available at the tournament.
He sarcastically concluded: "Am I asking for caviar?"
