Turkish tennis player Zeynep Sonmez tripped over a small advertising board behind the baseline during her women's doubles second-round match at the French Open on May 29, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4]. She fell face-first into the boards and fence area while trying to protect her head and face [1, 2, 3]. Sonmez suffered a bruised knee and leg injury that required two stitches and forced her and her partner, German Tatjana Maria, to retire from their match against Ukrainian duo Anhelina Kalinina and Dayana Yastremska. They retired after 17 minutes with Sonmez and Maria 2-0 down in the first set [1, 2, 3, 4] [5, 3].
Sonmez said, "I left the court with 2 stitches and a bruised knee. Thankfully, it wasn't worse. Do we really have to wait until a player is seriously injured before these courtside boards are removed? Player safety must come first" [3]. She was already out of the French Open singles competition after a first-round loss [4].
The incident adds to growing concern about the safety of sponsorship boards placed near courts. British player Katie Boulter tripped over a similar advertising board on May 28 but escaped injury. Boulter called for the removal of the boards, saying, "THESE THINGS HAVE TO GO. Got lucky last night but next time I might not be" [5, 3]. French player Iga Swiatek also urged a review, noting on clay courts the ball flight and court setup require careful consideration for space and visibility [5, 3].
The French Tennis Federation said all Roland Garros courts meet or exceed the international minimum distance of 6.4 meters (20.9 feet) between the baseline and back of the court, but acknowledged adjustments are underway to improve player safety around court edges. A federation spokesperson said, "The tournament's priority remains the well-being of the players ... adjustments are currently being made to the area around the playing surface" [3].
The doubles match ended early after just 17 minutes at 2-0 in favor of the Ukrainian duo, with Sonmez and Maria retiring due to injury. Further changes to courtside advertisements are expected during the tournament to reduce risk to players [1, 2, 3, 4].
