French tennis player sorry for Will Smith-style slap of rival
A French junior tennis player on Wednesday apologized for a delivering a Will Smith Oscars-style slap at an opponent but said his anger was sparked by insults from the crowd.
Michael Kouame, 15, slapped Raphael Nii Ankrah across the face at a tournament in Accra in Ghana as the two teenagers met at the net to exchange the customary post-match handshakes on Monday.
Kouame, who lost the tie in three sets, said on social media his outburst occurred “after an extremely frustrating and difficult match” during which he said he was insulted by the crowd who supported the local player.
Number 1 seeded player Michael Kouame from France 🇫🇷 slaps Raphael Nii Ankrah 🇬🇭 after losing in the ongoing TGF ITF jnrs world tour at the Accra sports stadium pic.twitter.com/pj4WjfifXZ
— KENNETH KWESI GIBSON 🎾 (@Kwesi_Gibson) April 4, 2022
“I sincerely regret my actions. During the match, I was repeatedly verbally abused by many people in the crowd, including insults against my mother, but that does not excuse my behavior,” he said.
He also apologized to his opponent.
“I accept all the consequences from the International Tennis Federation (ITF),” he added.
“I will use this time to see how I can better handle these kinds of situations in the future, in a way that reflects my true personality.”
American actor Smith stunned the recent Oscars ceremony in Los Angeles when he mounted the stage and slapped Chris Rock across the face after the comic made a joke about his wife’s closely cropped head.
