Roland Garros under fire after Zeynep Sonmez suffers freak injury on court

Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez was forced to withdraw from her French Open women’s doubles second round after suffering an unfortunate injury during play. Sonmez, who connected with Tatjana Maria, chased down the shot and crashed into the Lacoste advertising structure located behind the baseline. She was treated by a physiotherapist shortly afterwards, but eventually had to withdraw from the competition with what appeared to be an ankle problem.

The incident has once again raised concerns about the location of court structures at Roland Garros. Just a few days earlier, Belgian youngster Alexander Blockx also injured his ankle during training after crashing into a tarpaulin while tracking the ball.

Zeynep Sonmez runs for the ball and trips over the advertising sign at the back of the court.

She was injured and had to withdraw from the doubles.

What is Roland Garros doing at the moment to protect the players?

This is getting ridiculous. pic.twitter.com/V6npUQZ0MS— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 29, 2026

Players and fans alike often questioned the necessity of keeping the Lacoste tarps and billboards so close to the court, especially when rain was not expected. Critics say sponsor installations appear to serve little functional purpose beyond branding and could pose unnecessary risks to player safety.

KATIE BOULTER CALLS FOR ACTION ON BILLBOARDS

Somnez wasn’t the first player to suffer a freak accident during a second-round match. Facing Anastasia Potapova, Boulter tripped and fell on a Lacoste billboard, causing her to drop her racket.

Boulter eventually lost the match and retired from the tournament, but social media users noticed her freak accident. When one such user said that Roland Garros should be sued for placing advertising panels in such a way.

Boulter responded by saying she was lucky to escape injury and called on organizers to remove the plaque.

“THESE THINGS HAVE TO GO. I was lucky last night, but next time I might not be,” Boulter said on X. (Credit: Katie Boulter X)

Despite these mishaps, neither Roland Garros nor the French Open took any steps to remove the obstacles from the courts, and they remain.

– The end

Published on:

May 29, 2026 6:04 PM IST