Seventeen-year-old Deividas Bandzevicius was disqualified from an ITF J60 first-round match despite defeating Emiliano Bratomi 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(5). After sealing victory in the deciding tiebreak, Bandzevicius tossed his racket into the air, sending it flying toward his opponent. Officials ruled the action as physical abuse under ITF regulations, overriding the scoreboard result.
Bandzevicius clinched the grueling three-set match at 6-5 in the third-set tiebreak with a spectacular rally. Overcome with emotion, he immediately tossed his racket skyward, but it sailed across the court toward Bratomi. The opponent dodged it using his own racket and clutched his knees in shock, while Bandzevicius raised his hands in apology, indicating it may have been accidental. Despite no apparent intent to harm, the supervisor disqualified him on the spot. The incident, captured in a viral video, has sparked heated debate on social media. A tweet from Tennis Legend on April 9 described the decision as severe yet acknowledging the player's clumsy gesture. Fans are divided, with some questioning the punishment's harshness amid ambiguity over whether the racket made contact. ITF rules classify throwing a racket recklessly toward another person as physical abuse, defined as unauthorized touching of an opponent or official. Officials emphasized that conduct trumps the match result, a stance consistent across levels of play. This echoes past cases, such as Novak Djokovic's 2020 US Open default after unintentionally hitting a line judge.
