French Open Takes Urgent Action After Iga Świątek, Katie Boulter Raise Safety Concerns Over Zeynep Sönmez’s Injury

The 2026 French Open has been rocked by another growing controversy: one over player safety. Following a series of dangerous baseline falls, most notably a terrifying fall by Turkish player Zeynep Sonmez, tournament organizers have been forced to do damage control.

There have been complaints from top players, including four-time champion Iga Swiatek and Great Britain’s Katie Boulter, and now Roland Garros has released an official statement promising immediate adjustments to the courtside setup.

Roland Garros Issues Urgent Statement After Zeynep Sonmez’s Terrifying Baseline Fall

During a second-round women’s doubles match on Friday, while chasing down a lob at the back of the court, 24-year-old Sonmez collided violently with a Lacoste advertising board positioned behind the baseline. She tripped over the board and fell onto the clay in visible pain.

Sonmez needed immediate medical attention on the court. She ultimately had to retire from the match, which she was playing alongside partner Tatjana Maria, trailing 2-0.

The Turk later revealed the extent of the damage, stating she left the court with two 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,” Sönmez posted.

Sonmez’s accident was not the first. During her match against Anastasia Potapova, Boulter tripped over the exact same advertising boards while backpedaling for a forehand, losing her racquet in the fall. Taking to social media, she demanded action: *”THESE THINGS HAVE TO GO. Got lucky last night but next time I might not be…”*

Alexander Blocxx also had a similar incident. The Belgian tripped over the courtside rain covers, forcing him to withdraw from the tournament.

In her presser, Świątek weighed in. “Obviously on a clay court we need more space sometimes because the balls are flying higher, and you can use the court a bit more,”* Swiatek explained. “It’s a shame. I hope they’re going to put them in a different place… because it’s not safe for sure.”

Besides the world No. 3, 2026 Madrid Open champion Marya Kostyuk also raised concerns.

“Yeah, I witnessed two injuries like this before, which was Goffin, here. Also Flipkens in Abu Dhabi. I was watching this match and she also stepped on this thing. Yeah it’s terrible. I had one moment in the previous match where she played a really deep lob and I was really far back. Usually I just let it go and I don’t play this ball fully because I prefer to lose the point than get injured,” Kostyuk said.

After the severe backlash and the very real threat of further injuries, Roland Garros organizers released a formal statement on Friday evening.

While the tournament defended its current dimensions, they agreed that physical changes were necessary to protect the athletes. The statement outlined three main points:

“The stadium complex was modernized during the 2018/2019 season. All Roland-Garros courts currently exceed the international circuit minimum requirements regarding the distance between the baseline and the back of the court, which is set at 6.4 meters.

MORE:‘Really Dangerous’ – Iga Świątek, Marta Kostyuk Condemn French Open Safety Risk After Zeynep Sönmez’s Injury

However, the tournament’s priority remains the well-being of the players taking part. With this in mind, and based on our own observations, adjustments are currently being made to the area around the playing surface,” the statement read.

It did not specify exactly what adjustments are being made, but court crews are expected to push back or entirely remove the rigid advertising structures and rain tarps.