Verdasco’s angry gesture to ball boy criticised
SHANGHAI: Fernando Verdasco’s treatment of a ball boy who failed to bring him his sweaty towel fast enough has thrust tennis players’ attitudes towards the child volunteers into the spotlight, and could prompt changes.
The 34-year-old Spaniard has not commented on the incident, when he aggressively gesticulated at a ball boy to hurry up during last month’s Shenzhen Open in China. The footage went viral on social media and saw Verdasco heavily criticised.
Judy Murray, the former British Fed Cup captain and mother of three-time Grand Slam winner Andy, tweeted: “What about a rule that makes players get their own towels?” Others, while con- demning Verdasco’s behaviour, pointed out that he is by no means the first tennis player to treat a ball kid harshly. Last week at the China Open, the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka was caught in footage shaking an empty bottle in the apparent direction of a ball boy, before tossing it on the floor. “I don’t care how good a tennis player you are but this type of behaviour needs to STOP,” tweeted Anne Keothavong, Britain’s Fed Cup captain.
WIMBLEDON’S MOVE
Wimbledon is prepared to take action against players who behave badly towards ball boys and girls and plans to discuss the matter with representatives of men’s and women’s tennis, commercial director Mick Desmond said on Wednesday.