Former Grand Slam champion RAGES at officers in X-rated tantrum

Former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin raged Italian Open officials after being forced to play on despite wet conditions – before turning her anger to the spectators who booed her.

Russian-born American Kenin – who won her first ever Grand Slam at the Melbourne major in 2020 – went on to beat Lucia Bronzetti 6-3, 6-2 on Wednesday but not before embarking on an X-rated outburst over the playing surface. 

After missing a break point early in the first set, Kenin returned to her seat to complain to the umpire that the surface was to wet to play on amid rainy conditions. 

The umpire told her ‘the court is not unplayable’, before the match supervisor came over to her to back up her decision, telling Kenin that play would resume and if conditions became unsafe, they would stop ‘immediately’.

But Kenin did not take kindly to being told to play on as she slammed her towel down onto her tennis bag and fumed: ‘F***ing dumb a** people,’ before storming back onto the court with her racquet. 

Former Grand Slam champion Sofia Kenin raged at officials with an X-rated outburst for forcing her to play on in wet conditions at the Italian Open

Kenin later said ‘f*** you’ to the crowd after they had booed her for initially refusing to play

The 25-year-old wasn’t done there though, as she lashed out at the crowd – who began to boo her after her initial refusal to come back onto court.

After her opponent smashed a shot into the net, Kenin turned around and screamed: ‘F*** you!’ – with the spectators getting behind home favourite Bronzetti.

She was later vindicated in her complaints over the conditions as play was briefly stopped a few points later due to rain. 

Kenin recovered from her outburst to win in straight sets and will now take on Tunisian star Ons Jabeur in the second round.

Kenin recovered to beat Lucia Bronzetti in straight sets to book a second round match against Ons Jabeur

The Italian Open is notorious for booing players after Andy Murray was subjected to jeers last year following his row with the umpire Mohamed Lahyani during a match with Fabio Fognini.

The Scot had fumed over a ball that was not called out and remonstrated with the officials, with fans whistling him.

After he wrote on Instagram: ‘Stadium full of Italians booing and whistling, thinking I’m trying to cheat Fabio out of a point all because Mo couldn’t read a mark properly, cheers mate.’