MELBOURNE – An underarm serve on match point never goes unnoticed. Even less so at a Grand Slam, and especially when it comes against an Australian at the Australian Open.
Corentin Moutet sparked the crowd’s displeasure on the opening Sunday of the season’s first major when he sealed his match against Australian Tristan Schoolkate in that fashion: striking the ball at waist height, with heavy spin and an awkward bounce for his opponent. He was booed by the fans inside the KIA Arena.
“I don’t think about it. That’s exactly what I do on court: think less. I did it because I thought I could win the point, not to be disrespectful or anything. I could have served down the T or wide, but I chose that shot,” he said after his straight-sets victory.
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Moutet, who is chasing his first ATP title this season, added another chapter to his long history of run-ins with the crowd. Perhaps the most heated came in Santiago during the 2024 Chile Open, where he was booed for several minutes while trying to answer questions during the on-court interview: “Guys, one moment please. I’m not leaving here.”
On that occasion, he had beaten local favourite Nicolás Jarry in a fiery match. The very first point was an underarm serve from Moutet, immediately irritating the fans. From there, the crowd grew increasingly hostile toward his celebrations and theatrical protests toward the chair umpire. The handshake at the net with the Chilean was tense.
“I’m just myself. I’m trying to perform well, to be the best version of myself, to be a great tennis player. If I can entertain the people, that’s even better, but that’s not my first priority. My first priority is to perform and be a great tennis player,” he told the media in Melbourne.
Does tennis need more players like him — those who occasionally raise the level of tension and controversy?
“I don’t know what people expect from us, but I think there are very good players right now in this era. I think there are a lot of great levels of tennis that we can watch on TV. More or less, I don’t know. I don’t care,” he said.
