The French Open is facing intense criticism after several players were injured by advertising boards placed at the back of the courts.
On Friday, Turkish player Zeynep Sonmez was forced to retire from her woman’s doubles match after she tripped over a small Lacoste-branded board while chasing a ball.
She suffered a bruised knee and required two stitches. Following her exit, Sonmez posted on X:
“I left court with 2 stitches and a bruised knee. Thankfully, it wasn’t worse. Do we really have to wait until a player is seriously injured before these courtside boards are removed? Player safety must come first.”
Her fall follows a similar incident involving British player Katie Boulter, who narrowly avoided serious injury during her own match.
Boulter took to social media to voice her frustration, writing, “THESE THINGS HAVE TO GO. Got lucky last night but next time I might not be.”
Top star Iga Swiatek has also joined the chorus of players calling for immediate changes. “Obviously if these things happen, there needs to be a reaction,” Swiatek stated.
“I hope they’re going to put them in different place or just put the advertising in a different way there because it’s not safe for sure.”
