FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Sports

Tennis Ump Who Was Drilled in Face By Denis Shapovalov Has Surgery for Fractured Orbital Bone

Arnaud Gabas was unintentionally hit in the left eye by a frustrated Shapovalov during Davis Cup play last week.

A chair umpire who was nailed with a ball in the eye has gone under the knife .

Arnaud Gabas has undergone successful surgery to repair a fractured orbital bone beneath his left eye as a result of being struck with a ball by Canadian Denis Shapovalov earlier in the month.

The fracture underneath his eye was detected when doctors performed X-rays upon Gabas' return from Ottawa where he was working the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup, according to a statement released Sunday by the International Tennis Federation.

The injury occurred during the deciding match of a Davis Cup world group tie between Canada and Great Britain on Feb. 5. Visibly frustrated after dropping serve while already down two sets to love, the 17-year-old Shapovalov swatted the ball in anger toward the crowd, subsequently and accidentally drilling the French chair umpire in the eye. Gabas had visible marking and bruising on his face almost immediately, and had to be treated by medical staff on site.

"I would like to thank my doctors for their excellent support. The surgery was successful and I am now concentrating on rest and rehabilitation so I can be back on court in the near future. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude for all the messages of support I have received from around the world,'' Gabas wrote.

Shapovalov, who was was clearly distraught over the incident, was immediately defaulted in the deciding match against Great Britain's Kyle Edmund and fined $7,000 for his actions—one that could've been as high as $12,000 had it been deemed intentional. Canada was eliminated from the 2017 Davis Cup as a result.