Boulter demands immediate French Open change after terrifying incident | Tennis | Sport

Katie Boulter has demanded that the on-court advertising boards be removed from the French Open because players continue to trip over them while playing at Roland Garros. The former British women’s No. 1 fell over one while playing her second round match against Anastasia Potapova on Court 13 and dropped her racket after returning a shot.

Boulter, 29, won the first set 7-5, but the 28 seed responded by taking the second 6-4 and third 6-2 to set up a match with Coco Gauff in round three. The morning after becoming the last Brit to exit this year’s second Grand Slam, Boulter took to social media and called on the French Tennis Federation, who organise the French Open, to finally remove the obstacles.

She posted on X: “THESE THINGS HAVE TO GO. Got lucky last night but next time I might not be…” That demand came in response to a user sharing images of her falling, a post that carried the caption: “Roland Garros really deserves to be sued, she was lucky it wasn’t something serious but for real… what’s the point of those things on court? Write the name Lacoste on that banner behind, and that’s it, they risk players’ health for sponsors.”

Barely half an hour after Boulter posted, Zeynep Sonmez fell over one just two games into her second-round doubles match with Tatjana Maria against Anhelina Kalinina and Dayana Yastremska. Replying to footage shared of the Turkish player tripping, she said: “Omg! Not again!”

Sonmez ultimately had to retire after suffering a freak injury after falling while attempting to return a ball towards the back of the court. She lost her footing on one of the mini boards, which are triangular prisms like a Toblerone box.

The French Tennis Federation has been approached for comment.