Player has to retire from French Open doubles match after tripping over advertising board

Turkish tennis player Zeynep Sönmez had to retire from a women’s doubles match at the French Open after tripping heavily over a small advertising board near the back of the court as she chased down a ball during a point.

She escaped with only minor injuries but demanded the boards be removed.

She wrote on X that “I left the court with 2 stitches and a bruised knee” and added “do we really have to wait until a player is seriously injured before these courtside boards are removed?” British player Katie Boulter also demanded the boards be removed after falling over them in her second-round match on Thursday.

Four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek said the situation must be addressed.