Tennis: The day Stefan Koubek was disqualified.. again!!

Players involved: Stephane Kubek and Sébastien Grosjean

• Stefan Kubek. Former World No. 20 Austria with 2 ATP titles

Stefan Kubek, a left-handed, two-handed backhander, was born in Austria in 1977. He broke into the top 100 at the end of 1998, winning his first title in 1999 in Atlanta (defeating Sébastien Grosjean 6-2, 6-1 in the final). He also reached the fourth round at Roland Garros that year (losing to Alex Coretta 6-2, 6-3, 7-5) and finished the season as world No. 46. In 2000, he won his second title at Delray Beach (defeating Alex Calatrava, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, on March 2nd to reach his 2nd title). 13.

In 2001, Kubek almost dropped out of the top 100, but in 2002 he had his best Grand Slam result at the Australian Open, where he reached the quarterfinals (lost by Jiri Novak 6–2, 6–3, 6–2). Kubek was known for his bad temper as he had already failed twice in his career, once at Roland Garros in 2000 and once at Paris-Bercy in 2003. In October 2007, he was ranked 60th in the world.

• Sebastian Grosjean. Top 10 player, two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist

Sebastien Grosjean, French, born in 1978. Although he was one of his country’s best youth players, he was dropped from the French Federation’s elite program at the age of 16 in 1994 because he was considered too short to be a professional player. However, Grosjean did not give up on his dream, and five years later he made a name for himself by reaching the final of the 1999 Miami Masters 1000 (losing to Richard Krajicek, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 7-5). Its peak was reached in 2001. that year, after reaching the semi-finals at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, he won his major title at Paris-Bercy before finishing second in the Masters Cup and ending the season as world No. 6. The Frenchman remained in the top 20 in the following years, reaching 20th in the finals in 2003. In October 2007, he held the 68th award^th position in the ATP ranking.

Venue: Metz Open in France

The Metz Open was founded in 2003. Held on indoor courts, its first two editions were won by local favorites Arnaud Clement and Jerome Hennel, but in subsequent years its growing popularity attracted top players such as Ivan Ljubicic, who won in 2005, and Novak Djokovic, who won the title20.

Facts: Kubek did not pay to abuse the boss

When Sébastien Grosjean met Stephane Kubek in the round of 16 at the Metz Open in 2007, no one could have predicted that their match would end in such unexpected drama. Both players were in the final stages of their careers. Grosjean, previously world No. 4, was now ranked 68th, while Kubek, world No. 20 in 2000, was 60th.^th ranking in the ATP list. They were both experienced players and the stakes weren’t particularly high. However, the Austrian left-hander was known for his bad temper. He had achieved the rare feat of being disqualified twice in his career, twice in Paris; the first time at Roland Garros in 2000 for throwing his racket at the ball, and the second time at Paris-Bercy during the qualifying rounds.

At first, the French took the lead, taking the first set (7-5), and in the second set, he broke his opponent’s serve. However, the Austrian clawed his way back and pushed Grosjean to a third set. Koubek appeared to be in decisive control of the match against a tired opponent and was leading 4-2 when things got out of hand. Unhappy with regulation, the Austrian lost his temper and was disqualified for abusing the referee.

“On the first point of the seventh game, on Grosjean’s serve, a Kubek forehand near the baseline gave Kubek a 0-15 lead,” explained boss Thomas Carlberg. “However, the referee recognized that Grosjean was obstructing the linesman, who was therefore unable to award the point. In this case, the rule is to repeat the unit. Kubek disagreed and asked for a supervisor’s intervention. He did not want to accept the rules and used strong language. I told him the game was over and asked the referee to call it.”

Kubek lost the plot. He went completely mad.

Sebastien Grosjean

On the other side of the net, Grosjean couldn’t believe what was happening.

“Quebec lost the plot. He went completely crazy. It was incredible as he led 4-2 in the third set and it was the first point of the match. Kubek and the umpire could not see Kubek’s ball. Outside it was 30 cm. So the unit had to be repeated. back on the court so we could restart the game and replay the point, he refused and started insulting the official and he was immediately disqualified.

Grosjean loses in the next round. Kubek is retiring

In the next round, there would be no miraculous rescue for Sebastien Grosjean, who was defeated by eventual champion Tommy Robredo (6-4, 6-4). Stefan Kubek will retire in 2010.

History of Men’s Tour Disqualifications to 2022