French player Michael Kouame, 15, who slapped his winner in the first round of the Accra junior tournament, apologized on Wednesday, pointing out that he was insulted the whole match by the public. When his opponent, Raphaël Nii Ankrah (ranked 1688th in the world among juniors), came to meet him at the net to shake his hand, the young Habs slapped him. This did not fail to make people present around the court react strongly, who quickly sought to attack him physically.
“I accept all the consequences”
In a message of apology for his “bad gesture”, posted Wednesday on social networks, Kouame explains that he broke down “after an extremely frustrating and difficult match” during which he said he was insulted by the public who supported the local player. “During the game, I was repeatedly verbally abused by many people in the audience, including insults against my mother. But that doesn’t excuse my behavior,” he says.
Presenting his “public” apologies to Raphaël Nii Ankrah, Kouame admits that he was wrong and that his gesture was “completely unacceptable”. “I accept all the consequences (…) from the ITF (Editor’s note: the international federation). 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,” he concludes. The ITF, on which the junior circuit depends, had not yet officially announced a sanction on Wednesday.