Former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, known for her fiery spirit on the court, found herself at the center of controversy during her recent match against Lucia Bronzetti. Kenin, who clinched her first Grand Slam title in 2020, showed exceptional skills on the court, securing a win with scores of 6-3, 6-2. However, it wasn’t just her gameplay that caught everyone’s attention.
The match kicked off under less-than-ideal conditions. Early in the first set, after missing a crucial break point, Kenin expressed her concerns about the wet surface due to ongoing rain. She approached the umpire, arguing that the court was too slippery, posing a risk to player safety. The response she received was clear: “The court is not unplayable.” The match supervisor also weighed in, assuring Kenin that they would halt the game immediately if conditions worsened.
However, Kenin’s frustration boiled over. She was visibly upset, slamming her towel onto her bag and voicing her displeasure quite explicitly before heading back to play.
But that wasn’t the end of it.
The crowd started to boo, reacting to her outburst and she went off.
Kenin started screaming obscenities at the crowd.
Sonya Kenin cussing out the officials in Rome for making her play after she claimed the court was too wet to be safe.
They stopped play a couple points later due to the rain. pic.twitter.com/paxCd6iMEk
— 🎾nebby🎾 (@1gamesetmatch) May 8, 2024
Notably, Kenin was vindicated shortly after the outburst because it began to pour. Once the rain delay was over Kenin wrapped up the match in straight sets.
The crowd’s reaction to Kenin’s outburst is not uncommon. Fans at the Italian Open are notorious for booing players for once reason or another. In 2023, Andy Murray faced similar treatment from the audience after a disagreement with the umpire over a call during his match against Fabio Fognini. He later expressed his frustration on social media about the incident.
