Three tennis players have been injured in separate incidents at Roland Garros after tripping over on-court advertising hoardings and tarpaulin covers, raising urgent safety concerns. british player Katie Boulter narrowly avoided serious injury during her second-round loss to Anastasia Potapova,while Turkey's Zeynep Sonmez was forced to retire after crashing into a wall. Earlier, Belgium's Alexander Blockx withdrew with a sprained ankle that he initially blamed on the court's tarpaulin covers. the French Tennis Federation (FFT) has not responded to requests for comment.

The Lacoste blocks: How a cricket-style marker caused Boulter's near-miss

According to the source report, Boulter stepped back to play a shot and trod on green Lacoste advertising blocks placed near the tarpaulin covers at the back of the court. The blocks, similar to those used as cricket boundary markers, caused her to lose balance and fall. Boulter managed to brace herself with her hands, avoiding a more severe impact. she later posted on social media: "Roland Garros really deserves to be sued, she was lucky it wasn't something serious but for real…what's the point of those things on court?" and added "THESE THINGS HAVE TO GO."

Sonmez's face-first fall: A forced retirement and a warning fulfilled

Hours after Boulter's accident, Zeynep Sonmez was playing a second-round doubles match when she tripped over the same type of advertising hoardings and crashed face-first into the wall, as the report details. She cut her knee and was forced to retire trailing 2-0 in the opening set. Medical staff attended to her in visible pain. Boulter responded to a video of Sonmez's fall on X with the exclamation: "Omg! Not again!" Sonmez's retirement underscores the tangible risk Boulter had warned about, writing earlier "next time I might not be…"

Alexander Blockx's edited post: What did the Belgian player delete?

The pattern extends to the men's draw. Belgian player Alexander Blockx sprained his ankle during practice and withdrew from the singles draw. The report notes that Blockx initially posted on social media blaming the "really necessary" tarpaulin covers at the back of the court for his injury. however, he later edited his post to remove that reference, suggesting possible pressure or a desire to avoid controversy. This editing raises an open question: did tournament officials or others ask him to change his account? The FFT has not clarified.

FFT's silence: Three incidents and no public response

Despite being approached for comment following Boulter's and Sonmez's accidents, the FFT has not issued a statement, according to the report. the silence adds to growing criticism from players and observers about whether the tournament values sponsor placement over athlete safety. With high-level matches continuing, the pressure mounts on organizers to address these hazards before a more severe incident occurs. The advertising blocks, while financially beneficial , now appear to be a dangerous element on court.