Dan Evans was left in a flap by Holger Rune, the umpire and a pigeon as he exited the French Open in the first round again.
The British number three was startled by a bird and rowed furiously with chair official Jaume Campistol before being sent packing by Danish 13th seed Rune 6-4 6-4 6-4.
The flashpoint came in the third set after Rune was warned for smashing his racket against the ground and argued his case.
In the next game Evans, a break up, was waiting to serve when Rune disputed a line call, prompting another lengthy discussion.
Evans was immediately broken and lost his rag, fuming: “He doesn’t need a conversation on my serve. Let the f****** match play.
“Do your job! You don’t have to have a conversation with him. It’s twice in two games. Madness.”
Earlier, in the second set, Evans had to take evasive action after he was dive-bombed by a pigeon.
Roland Garros chiefs are so pleased with the new roof they had installed on Court Suzanne Lenglen that they gave it an inauguration ceremony at the weekend.
But an obvious flaw is the gaps between the roof and the walls of the arena, which are big enough for pigeons to fly in, but too small for them to find their way back out.
Evans could at least force a smile as the ‘clay pigeon’ landed on the baseline and Rune and a ball kid shooed it away.
But was Rune who homed in on victory to condemn Evans to a sixth first-round defeat in seven visits to Paris.
It was also a seventh straight loss and a 16th since the turn of the year, leaving Evans slipping down the pecking order in the rankings.
What’s coming up on Sky Sports Tennis?
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Find out all the ways to watch tennis on Sky Sports, including the US Open, ATP and WTA tours
In the run-up to the third Grand Slam of 2024 – Wimbledon – you can watch all of the biggest tennis stars in action live on Sky Sports as they compete across the grass-court season.
- Stuttgart Open (ATP 250 with Andy Murray in action) – June 10-16
- Rosmalen Open (ATP/WTA 250) – June 10-16
Watch the WTA and ATP Tours throughout 2024 on Sky Sports Tennis. Stream Sky Sports Tennis and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership. No contract, cancel anytime.
