Judge Arnaud Gabas successfully operated on after being hit in eye
French chair umpire Arnaud Gabas had to undergo surgery on his left eye after being hit during the Canada vs United Kingdom Davis Cup series in Ottawa.
According to the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the operation was successful and Gabas is now recovering at home.
Gabas suffered a fracture to the orbital bone of his left eye as a result of the unintentional ball hit by Canadian tennis player Denis Shapovalov.
Due to the incident, Shapovalov was disqualified from the match he was losing 6-3, 6-4, and 2-1 against Britain's Kyle Edmund, resulting in the United Kingdom winning the series 3-2 and qualifying for the quarterfinals.
The fracture was detected after Gabas underwent X-ray tests upon returning from Ottawa. According to the Davis Cup website, Gabas will now have to undergo a period of recovery and rest.
"I would like to thank the doctors for their excellent work. The operation was successful and now I am focused on my recovery in order to be able to officiate again in the near future," said Gabas. "I want to thank all the messages of support I have received from around the world," he added.
17-year-old Shapovalov apologized for the incident, but was still fined $7,000 by the ITF. The incident occurred after the Canadian player angrily hit the ball with his racket after making an error, accidentally hitting the umpire in the face with great force and velocity.