Tennis : David Nalbandian Disqualified From AEGON Championships Final
Posted in Sports on 18. Jun, 2012
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Argentine tennis player disqualified from Queen’s Club final after wild kick at line judge
- Official Andrew McDougall struck by advertising board, opening a deep gash on his left shin
- Nalbandian apologises after the match saying he was ‘very frustrated’
- Argentine player expected to be punished with a ‘hefty fine’
Argentine tennis star David Nalbandian was today disqualified from the AEGON Championships final against Marin Cilic in London after kicking an advertising panel in to a line judge’s leg, drawing blood.
Nalbandian, 30, won the first set on a tie-break but reacted angrily after being broken for the second time in the second set.
Having just lost the seventh game, the 6ft 7ins Nalbandian fiercely kicked an advertising board in front of line judge Andrew McDougall’s chair.
As a result of his actions, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) rules meant he was disqualified.
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Injured: David Nalbandian kicked an advertising board into a line judge, cutting his leg in the process
Speaking in his post-match interview, Nalbandian, a former world number three, said: ‘I am sorry.
‘I am sorry to do that.
‘Sometimes we get very frustrated here on court.
‘It is tough to control.
‘It is a mistake.
‘It is a tough moment to end a final like that.
‘Sometimes we feel the pressure from the ATP.
‘It is a mistake and I have to pay for that.
‘Everybody makes mistakes.’
Cilic said it ‘definitely’ wasn’t the way he wanted to win the match.
‘It was very bitter,’ he said.
‘The match was set up with David Nalbandian a break down in the second set having won the first but things like that I can’t change.
‘I’m really sorry to the guys for this.
‘To end like this is not easy.
‘The match was getting hot and it’s tough to see the final finishes like this.’
