French player 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.
Kouame, 15, slapped Ghanaian Raphael Nii Ankrah on Monday as the two players shook hands at the net after the loss to the Frenchman, seeded N.1, after a tie-break in the third set.
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.
“I sincerely regret my gesture”, assures the Francilien.
“During the match, I was repeatedly verbally abused by many people in the audience, including insults against my mother;
but that doesn't excuse my behavior," he said.
Despite everything, Kouame admits that he was wrong and that his gesture was "completely unacceptable".
“I accept all the 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.