British police are investigating a complaint of assault against Argentine tennis player David Nalbandian after he injured a linesman in a petulant outburst during the final of the Queen's Club tournament in London.
Nalbandian was leading 7-6 3-3 when he dropped serve in the seventh game and reacted by kicking out at a wooden advertising board which disintegrated on impact and slammed into official Andrew McDougall's left leg.
A shocked McDougall cried out and instantly clutched his shin. When he rolled up his trouser leg, blood could be seen seeping from the wound.
He received some on-court attention before being escorted to the club's medical centre. After prolonged discussions between officials, umpire Fergus Murphy disqualified Nalbandian for "unsportsmanlike behaviour" and awarded the match to his Croatian opponent Marin Cilic.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said on Monday: "An allegation of assault has been made to us relating to an incident at the... tennis tournament and we are now investigating."
Nalbandian apologised after the incident, saying:
"I know (what) I did (is) a mistake, 100 percent. I feel very sorry for the guy. I didn't want to do that.”
He now faces a fine of up to $10,000 despite already forfeiting his prize money (at least $56,800) and ranking points for the week.
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