It’s not uncommon for a professional athlete to lose his or her cool on the court. It happens. Most people can understand when tennis players break their rackets out of frustration.
But there’s a difference between taking your frustration out on a tennis racket and taking your frustration out on a baby in the stands. David Ferrer chose the latter.
The sixth-seeded Ferrer was playing a quarterfinal match against American Mardy Fish, the No. 14 seed, in the Sony Ericsson Open on Wednesday, and was visibly upset with the way the match was progressing.
He had lost the first set to Fish 7-5 and was trailing in the second. After losing his serve, Ferrer hit a forehand lob into the stands to express his frustration at the crying baby. The ball fortunately didn’t come close to actually hitting the baby, but Ferrer got his message across and the crying stopped.
When asked after the match about the 7-5, 6-2 loss, Ferrer didn’t blame the crying baby that had bothered him so much during the match.
“It was in one moment of the match, but nothing special,” Ferrer said, according to The Associated Press. “It was not the problem.”
The problem, according to Ferrer, was indigestion.
Fish said after the match that he did not see Ferrer hit the ball into the stands, but thought Ferrer probably regretted his action.
“He’d probably take that one back if he could,” Fish told the AP. “He’s a very nice guy. Obviously flustered.”
Those in attendance of that match probably disagree with Fish.
