US Open bosses have apologized after wrongly sanctioning French player Alize Cornet for removing her shirt, while male players were allowed to remove theirs. The tournament has so far been played in blistering heat.Cornet (top) was initially punished for switching attire, after realizing she had put her shirt on back to front while off court during a 10-minute heat break before the third set of her first round defeat against Sweden’s Johanna Larsson on Tuesday. Larsson plays Germany’s Angelique Kerber in round two on Thursday.
With temperatures hitting 38 degrees, several men changed shirts during their matches, including Novak Djokovic (below), leading to a wave of criticism for umpire Christian Rask’s decision to issue a code violation to 28-year-old Cornet.
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“All players can change their shirts when sitting in the player chair. This is not considered a code violation,” said organisers in a statement issued in response on Wednesday.
“We regret that a code violation was assessed to Ms. Cornet yesterday. We have clarified the policy to ensure this will not happen moving forward. Fortunately, she was only assessed a warning with no further penalty or fine.
“Female players, if they choose, may also change their shirts in a more private location close to the court, when available. They will not be assessed a bathroom break in this circumstance.”
The tennis tournament was widely accused of double standards over the Cornet incident, especially as it came just days after the French Open said it would ban Serena Williams from wearing her ‘Black Panther’ bodysuit again at Roland Garros.
“You have to respect the game and the place,” said French tennis federation (FFT) president Bernard Giudicelli who added there will be “certain limits” on clothing for the 2019 French Open.
mp (Reuters, AP)
