Player kicked out of French Open for ‘reprehensible behaviour’ following TV reporter kiss storm
French player Maxime Hamou tried to kiss a television reporter against her will during a live broadcast and was banished from the tournament
A French tennis player who tried to kiss a television reporter against her will during a live broadcast at Roland Garros was banished from the tournament on Tuesday for his “reprehensible behaviour”.
Maxime Hamou, 21, grabbed Eurosport journalist Maly Thomas around the neck and shoulders while she interviewed him following his first round defeat on Monday.
“It was frankly unpleasant. If it hadn’t been live on air, I would have punched him,” Thomas told the French edition of the Huffington Post.
Hamou, the world number 287, was subsequently banned from the Roland Garros site by organisers.
“The tournament directors have decided to cancel the accreditation of Maxime Hamou following his reprehensible behaviour with a journalist on Monday,” said a Roland Garros statement.
A Eurosport spokesman said that Hamou’s actions were “highly inappropriate”.