Gael Monfils was disqualified from the 2024 Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) in Oslo after displaying behaviour, which was not in line with the tournament's rules.
From February 9th to 11th, 2024, the popular UTS is played in Oslo. The tournaments, which is organized by renowned coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, runs in a different way that regular ATP tournaments, as players compete in quarters of eight minutes instead of games and sets.
On top of that, loud music often plays in between the points, players have only one serve, they are not allowed to take a medical time out, and there are no warnings or penalties for the players on the court.
And that's why the Frenchman's disqualification is so surprising, because it came at the Ultimate Tennis Showdown, probably the only tennis competition in the world, where one wouldn't expect someone to be disqualified.
On the first day of the event in Oslo, fans got a chance to see some spectacular tennis, as Holger Rune overpowered Dominic Thiem in sudden death, but also Monfils played his match.
But the Frenchman wasn't very competitive. "La Monf" as he's called at the event, lost to Alex de Minaur, nicknamed "The Demon" 12-15, 8-17, 9-16, and as the score suggests, it wasn't really a competitive affair.
The last time Monfils played at the UTS Grand Final in London, he got into an argument with one of the referees, as he requested a medical time out, since he twisted his ankle, something that is not allowed at the UTS.
This time around, after losing his match, Monfils was disqualified because of "a code of conduct violation stemming from his behaviour towards the tournament supervisor."
That's what the official statement from the tournament reads, as there's no clear indication of what exactly could have happened. As a result, Monfils was disqualified and replaced by Lucas Pouille, nicknamed "The French Flair."
Although initially not much was known about what really happened, the tournament organizers released a statement the following day, explaining the Monfils' disqualification came as a result of injuring a supervisor.
Later, after the UTS' statement, Monfils also released his personal statement, explaining the situation from his perspective.
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