“I wanted to express myself following the controversy after my semi-final against Karen. After the physiotherapist's intervention, I perceived it as cramps, being on the verge of having them myself after more than 2h30 of an intense match,” explains the French N.1 in a story published on his Instagram account.
“I have great respect for Karen”
“I am sorry to see that this has been misunderstood and worse, described as a lack of fair play on my part. I contacted him personally to apologize. I have great respect for Karen and for all the opponents I have had to meet so far. This will serve as a lesson for me to act better in the future,” adds the world No.14.
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Hit in the right thigh, Khachanov (19th), who led 3-2 in the third set, called on a trainer and did not register a game until the end of the match lost 6-7 (6- 8), 6-4, 6-3. He even ended up on the ground before the last point of the match.
Humbert's demonstrations of joy and his way of addressing the public at Bercy had displeased the Russian. “You can celebrate after the match with the public, no problem. You can do whatever you want. Injuries are part of the game. But to do that when the other is on the ground…” declared the Russian after the match, believing that “it (was) not a way to behave”.
