The opening round of the Challenger de Aix-en-Provence took an unexpected turn when Corentin Moutet (ranked 82) defeated Pavel Kotov (ranked 121) in a tense three-set battle.
What followed, however, overshadowed the outcome of the match. There was no handshake at the net, a common occurrence in heated matches, but the real shock came later.
Hours after the match, Moutet turned to social media, not to celebrate his victory but to make a grave accusation. He claimed that Kotov had threatened him during the match, allegedly saying: “Next time you come to the net, I’ll kill you. One day, someone will kill you”.
Moutet also criticized the ATP and the chair umpire, stating: “Not even a warning—seems like these words are allowed on court. If you don’t want me involved, why not do your job?” He tagged the ATP’s official account in his post, which he later deleted.
Before removing the post, Moutet replied to a comment, expressing the emotional toll of the incident: “I’ll have trouble sleeping tonight“. Meanwhile, Kotov has yet to respond to the accusations, and no official statements have been issued. Moutet was later eliminated in the second round by American Reilly Opelka.
Moutet’s history as tennis’ ‘bad boy’
While Moutet’s claims have drawn sympathy, some fans remain skeptical, pointing to his controversial reputation on the ATP Tour. Recently, he left the Mutua Madrid Open to a chorus of boos after smashing his racket during a match against fellow Frenchman Harold Mayot. The incident reportedly led to his coach stepping down.
Moutet also has a history of confrontations, including a heated altercation with Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik, where tempers flared to the point that officials had to separate the two players to prevent further escalation.