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Maxime Hamou, an up-and-coming tennis player, has been removed from the French Open and could face further punishment after repeatedly kissing and almost choke-holding a female reporter, who interviewed him live following his first-round loss Monday.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThe management of the tournament has decided to revoke Maxime Hamou\u2019s accreditation following his reprehensible behavior with a journalist yesterday,\u201d the French Tennis Federation said in a statement. The federation said it will review the incident before deciding on further sanctions.<\/p>\n
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The 21-year-old Frenchman, ranked No. 287 in the world, won three qualifying matches to reach the main draw of the Grand Slam tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, before losing to Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas in the first round, when he was interviewed by the Eurosport reporter Maly Thomas.<\/p>\n
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The interviewer stood by Hamou\u2019s side for a better camera angle, at which point he placed an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer. As she asked innocuous questions about his post-match routine, Hamou attempted to kiss and nuzzle her neck, but she rebuffed him. Seconds later, he repeated his gesture, by which point Thomas, clearly uncomfortable, pushed him away, and attempted to wriggle from his grasp. The tennis player, however, continued to firmly hold Thomas by the neck in what resembled a chokehold.<\/p>\n
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