An ugly incident has rocked the Australian open. Russian Pavel Vyacheslavovich Kotov was playing against Arthur Rinderknech of France in his first round match. The Frenchman fought back and from two sets down took the match to the decider. 

During the match the 25-year-old Kotov exploded in an outburst when he failed to keep his shot in play. He grabbed the ball and forcefully stuck it into the back wall behind him where a ball girl was standing nearby. The girl was left terrified. Luckily the ball did not hit the girl. The incident has left many tennis fans furious.

One spectator, in his Instagram, remarked that as a parent of a child he feels disgusting as why Kotov was not disqualified.  He added, “ The ballkids are all volunteers and do not deserve to feel scared or threatened while they are on duty.” There were more posts protesting against this violent act. 

Kotov’s opponent Arthur did not want to make any comment about the incident. He ultimately lost the match to the Russian.