Tennis fans were left grimacing on Saturday after witnessing a below-the-belt bombardment of mighty proportions.
The low blow occurred during Wimbledon 's boys' doubles final, where French duo Paul Inchauspe and Gabriel Debru took on the American pairing of Sebastian Gorzny and Alex Michelsen. Major title on the line or not, however, the match proved all is indeed fair in love and war as one competitor likely left the match with bruising in an area you really don't want it.
The scores were level at one game apiece in the opening set when both pairs were poised square at the net. It was at this point a bouncing ball set up nicely for Gorzny, who could have picked any number of shots as he sought the early advantage.
In the end, the 18-year-old put his foe's priorities to one side and opted for power above all else. The point went to the American youngsters as Gorzny's forehand thudded into Inchauspe, though it wasn't until commentators saw replays that the level of likely damage was known.
Inchauspe, also 18, may have gone on to lose the doubles decider in straight sets, though he took this particular shot like the proverbial champ. One BBC commentator repeated "ow. . ow, ow" as the teenager reeled from the direct hit, heralding a chorus of calls for "new balls" on social media.
Michelsen clearly felt his opponent's pain (not literally) as he raised his hand to his mouth in shock at what his partner had unleashed. For his part, Inchauspe deserved credit for not being reduced to a heap, instead walking off the pain with little else other than pride and adrenaline.
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Another commentator questioned why the Frenchman had not used his racquet to block his nether region given the opponent's close range. However, he opted to do what any good doubles partner would by attempting to limit the enemy's vision of the court instead.
The crowd's reaction says everything one needs to know about the severity of the hit, or at least as it appeared before the recipient managed to walk it off. Despite the valiant display in the face of great adversity, Inchauspe couldn't avoid a 7-6(5), 6-3 defeat to the American adversaries.
It may not have been the result he and comrade Debru were after, but Inchauspe will remember his 2022 Wimbledon experience one way or another. Tennis doesn't come with nearly the same risk to one's health as other sports, but Saturday highlighted the importance of always keeping one's eye on the ball.
