French tennis player apologizes for striking woman with ball in emotional outburst at French Open

Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

A French tennis player has apologized after he launched a ball into the crowd during his first round match at the French Open over the weekend, hitting a woman in the stands. 

Terence Atmane, 22, released a statement on social media Monday after his unsportsmanlike behavior during a match against Austria’s Sebastian Ofner resulted in a woman being struck in the leg. 

Terence Atmane of France celebrates a point against Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria during the Men's Singles third round match during Day Seven of the Internazionali BNL D'Italia 2024 at Foro Italico on May 12, 2024 in Rome, Italy.  (Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

Atmane, who was only issued a warning for his actions, called it a "moment of frustration" and said it was only made worse when the cord on his tennis racket broke. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

"I broke my string at the same moment and found myself watching my ball cross the court and go straight into the leg of a spectator," a translation of Atmane’s statement, via The Tennis Letter, read. 

"Of course, my first instinct would have been to go and apologize, but I was so shocked and disoriented by my action that no reaction came to mind... like a blackout where my brain switches off, and I can't think of anything else — anything." 

The incident caused a 15-minute delay as the chair umpire and officials decided how to proceed. Ultimately, Atmane was given a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct, which caused further uproar after similar actions in the past merited a forfeited match. 

FRENCH OPEN DOUBLES PLAYERS FORCED TO FORFEIT MATCH AFTER ACCIDENTALLY HITTING BALL GIRL IN NECK

Last year,