The Venezuelan player Luis David Martínez and Colombia’s Cristian Rodríguez were detained over alleged racist insults and gestures during their doubles match at the Challenger 75 tournament in Itajaí, Brazil.
The pair, the top seeds at the event, are accused of directing racist insults and gestures at a fan and a club official after losing their quarter-final match 6–7 (4–7), 7–6 (8–6), 10–2 to local players Eduardo Ribeiro and Igor Marcondes.
According to Brazilian media reports, the players allegedly used discriminatory language and gestures and were later detained by police at their hotel.
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“What happened during today’s doubles match at the Itajaí Open led to an immediate response from the Military Police, who were present and took the appropriate measures in accordance with Brazilian law. The Itajaí Open strongly condemns racism or any form of discrimination,” the tournament organisers told UOL.
The ATP has not yet issued any public statement regarding the incident, which ended with both players being arrested under Brazil’s Law 7,716. They could face prison sentences of up to five years.
Martínez, 36, is currently ranked No. 108 in the world in doubles, while Rodríguez, 35, sits at No. 162.
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