Tennis Player Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard's Return Ends in Freak Eye Injury

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard’s return to competition ended cruelly and unexpectedly at the Open Occitanie, with the Frenchman forced to retire after a freak self-inflicted eye injury. Playing his first match since his Australian Open exit, the 22-year-old was already struggling to find rhythm against compatriot Arthur Gea when disaster struck late in the opening set. Approaching the net at 3–5, Mpetshi Perricard attempted a routine volley, only for the ball to ricochet off his racket and into his eye. He immediately dropped to the court in pain, clutching his face as medical staff rushed on. After receiving treatment during a medical timeout, Mpetshi Perricard briefly returned, but his eye was visibly bloodshot and his discomfort clear. Gea closed out the opening set 6–3, and moments later, Mpetshi Perricard signalled that he could not continue, bringing a premature end to the first-round contest in Montpellier. “It’s never easy to see a friend like this," Gea said afterwards. “It’s never easy to see this happen." The abrupt retirement capped a frustrating stretch for Mpetshi Perricard, who had reached quarter-finals in Auckland and Brisbane earlier in the season before suffering first-round exits in Melbourne and now Montpellier. What was meant to be a chance to reset after the Australian Open instead turned into an unfortunate reminder of how quickly fortunes can turn on the tennis court.