Mikael Ymer was eliminated from the Lyon Open after hitting the chair of the umpire during his confrontation with Arthur Fils in the second round out of frustration.
Ymer defeated Richard Gasquet in the opening round, 6-3, 7-5, to earn a matchup with Fils in the round of 16.
The Swede lost an early break but recovered to regain the lead at 4-3. In the ninth game of the first set, he saved three break points, but in the tenth game, he was unable to convert a set point.
A return by Fils in the eleventh game came very close to the line and was called in, which Ymer contested. The chair umpire, though, was adamant about not getting up to examine the mark.
The umpire said that Ymer’s reaction was too late for him to come on the court and check the mark, but the Swede argued:
“Today I served against Gasquet, and even though he crossed over to the opposite side, he was still permitted to request that a mark be examined. You’re telling me that you won’t even come down and check the mark after I hit this ball?
“I’ve never heard a referee declare, ‘I’m not going to come down and examine the mark. Mikael Ymer implored, “It doesn’t happen.
Ymer, who was broken later in the same game, requested that the umpire give in, but the umpire refused. The Swedish player was furious and let loose on the umpire’s chair, repeatedly hitting it with his racket.
After the supervisor arrived on the court, this reaction was sufficient to justify an immediate disqualification, advancing Arthur Fils to the third round of the Lyon Open, where he will face Felix Auger-Aliassime.
“Not interested in being loved by everyone,” says Mikael Ymer.
Mikael Ymer acknowledged in a 2022 interview with SVT Sport that he isn’t afraid to be himself.
The Swedish No. 1 claimed that he was more interested in the views of people who had personally interacted with him and knew him well.
I don’t want to be everyone’s favourite person or their role model, Ymer told SVT Sport. “I’m more drawn to people that I first met in person when I was a youngster at SALK (a tennis club in Stockholm). I would have called and said, “Hey, it hurts me that you got this opinion, there must have been something,” if someone who has truly met me had an opinion of me.
Mikael Ymer is currently ranked 53rd in the world and has a 3-2 win-loss record (including results from the Bordeaux Challenger) since the start of this year’s clay court swing.