Tennis player has wild meltdown during Lyon Open, smashes racket against umpire chair

Mikael Ymer had an early exit from the Lyon Open after smashing his racket into the umpire’s chair during a match on Wednesday.

Ymer, who is from Sweden, was facing off against Arthur Fils of France.

After losing a point to Fils and falling behind 6-5 in the first set, Ymer made a stop by the umpire’s chair during the switch. He pounded his racket into the chair multiple times and put a hole in its base, before taking his seat.

Mikael Ymer was disqualified from the Lyon Open for smashing the umpire's chair! 😳💥#atp #tennis #wta #lyonopen #atptour pic.twitter.com/82a9NKbDC9

— GOAT (@GOATsportsworld) May 24, 2023

An official came over moments later and disqualified Mikael Ymer from the event, allowing Fils to advance.

The 24-year-old Ymer is ranked as the No. 53 player in the world. His competitor — Arthur Fils — is ranked No. 112. The two had never faced off before Wednesday’s match, which was cut short.

Ymer was upset about a call earlier in the previous game after the umpire did not check a mark in the clay.

“You [say you] saw it clearly bounce on the line, so show me the mark on the line,” Ymer said. “I’ve never witnessed that a ref says I’m not going to go down and check a mark. It doesn’t happen, so why are you not checking the mark?”

The Lyon, Open is currently taking place in Lyon, France. The event is played on clay, which is why Ymer asked for the umpire to check the mark.

The event started on May 21 and will conclude on May 27.

With the win over Ymer, Fils advanced to the quarterfinals. He is joined there by Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada, Cameron Norrie of Great Britain, Sebastian Baez of Argentina, Brandon Nakashima of the United States, Tommy Paul of the United States, Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina and Jack Draper of Great Britain.

Following the Lyon Open, the French Open will be played at Roland-Garros. The event is one off the four majors and will begin on Sunday, May 28.

Last year, the French Open was won by Rafael Nadal, who took home the title at the age of 36. Nadal became the oldest player to ever win the event.

On the women’s side, Iga Swiatek defeated American Coco Gauff to capture the crown in last year’s French Open.

Heading into this year’s French Open, Carlos Alcarez of Spain is considered the favorite at +160, according to DraftKings. His odds are slightly better than Novak Djokovic, who is listed at +240.

On the women’s side, Iga Swiatek is the heavy favorite to repeat as champion at -125.