Frenchman Michael Kouame, who slapped his opponent in the first round of the junior tournament in Accra, apologized on Wednesday, pointing out that he was insulted the whole match by the public. The 15-year-old Frenchman slapped Ghana’s Raphael Nii Ankrah on Monday as the two shook hands at the net after the No. 1-seeded Frenchman was defeated in a third-set tie-break .
In a message of apology for his “bad move“, Posted Wednesday on social networks, Kouame explains having cracked “after an extremely frustrating and difficult matchduring which he says he was insulted by the public who supported the local player. “I sincerely regret my action“, assures the Parisian.
«During the match, I was repeatedly verbally abused by many people in the audience, including insults against my mother; but that does not excuse my behavior“, he says. Despite everything, Kouame admits having been wrong and that his gesture was “completely unacceptable». «I accept all consequences (…) from the ITF; 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 International Federation (ITF) on which the junior circuit depends had not yet officially announced a sanction on Wednesday.
