“What an idiot” – Rinderknech reflects on his retirement after injuring himself

“What an idiot,” This is what Arthur Rinderknech said to himself, as he admitted to L’Équipe. “I didn’t think it was a wall, I thought it was a tarpaulin.”

At two sets to one in his favour, but 2-0, 40-40 for Tomás Martín Etcheverry in the fourth, on the Argentine’s serve, after a backhand unforced error, the Frenchman’s frustrating boiled over. In a moment of anger, he went to kick the side of the court. A fatal mistake. The “wall” won the fight.

“When I hit, I’m surprised it’s so hard,” he said.

“My foot is limping in front of the concrete. I do one support, two supports and it doesn’t work at all. I was scared. I was in a tough spot, I couldn’t press on my foot anymore. I played with the outside of my foot.”

THERE ARE EVEN THINGS (AMONG THE JOKES ON THE INTERNET) THAT MAKE ME LAUGH, LIKE THE FFL (THE FRENCH FEDERATION OF LOSERS). RIDICULE DOES NOT KILL

Arthur Rinderknech

Three games later, after calling on the trainer, the Frenchman, disappointed, had to throw in the towel at 3-6, 6-7 [8], 6-1, 5-0.

“The doc told me: ‘It can take a week or ten days, or it can take three months’,” he explained. Despite the disappointment, no doubt immense, of having to say goodbye to this Roland-Garros in the bizarrest of circumstances, and the possible long recovery while he is racing to qualify for the Olympics, the world No 69 managed to laugh about it.

“I put things into perspective,” he said.

“There are even things (among the jokes on the internet) that make me laugh, like the FFL (the French Losing Federation). Ridicule does not kill. It’s rather funny and good-natured. I prefer that to people who will hide behind fake accounts to insult you and threaten your family.”

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