South Korean tennis star Kwon Soon-woo has been thrust into the spotlight after smashing his racket and refusing a post-match handshake following a shocking upset in the second round of the 19th Asian Games.
In a second-round men's singles match at Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre in Hangzhou, China, on Monday, Kwon, who ranked 112th in the world, lost to No. 636 Kasidit Samrej of Thailand 3-6, 7-5, 4-6 to crash out of medal contention.
It was one of the biggest upsets in tennis at the Hangzhou Asiad as the 25-year-old Korean tennis player had been considered a strong gold medal hopeful in the men's singles for his career of two ATP titles and a third-round finish at a Grand Slam tournament. He has been ranked as high as world No. 52.
After the loss, Kwon slammed his racket against the court repeatedly and did not stop smashing it while walking toward his changeover chair.
He then refused to shake hands with Samrej who approached him for a post-match handshake, considered an integral part of a tennis match. The Thai player left Kwon and bowed to the cheering audience.
Video clips of Kwon's apparent bad sportsmanship have gone viral and drawn backlash from Korean tennis fans.
The Korea Tennis Association (KTA) said Kwon has apologized to the Thai player for his impolite post-match behavior.
"Kwon visited Thailand's training camp and offered an apology to him and sent words of encouragement," a KTA official said. "I heard the Thai player has accepted the apology."
Kwon will vie for the men's doubles gold medal with his best friend in tennis, Hong Seong-chan.
As the controversy intensifies at home and abroad, Kwon on Tuesday offered a public apology for his "frivolous behavior that should not have been done as a national team member."
"I sincerely apologize to all those who supported their national team's competition and those who were in the court," he said in a handwritten letter released through the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee. "Again, I sincerely apologize to Samrej, who may have been offended by my disrespectful behavior."
He said he will be more cool-headed and self-possessed on court and become a responsible national team player.
At the same time, the Thai tennis association said Kwon and his coaches have visited its team to offer an apology and it has accepted it.
"South Korea also expressed regret for the incident. The Thai team did not take it to heart and confirmed that Thailand and South Korea have always had good friendship," it said in a Facebook posting. "On this occasion, Kasidit Samrej and Soonwoo Kwon also shook hands to show their good friendship."
Source: Yonhap News Agency