French tennis player Arthur Cazaux collapsed in a shocking scene at the Miami Masters and had to be assisted into a wheelchair before exiting the court.
On Monday, 21-year-old Cazaux was taking on fellow Frenchman Harold Mayot in the Miami qualifying first round. With Cazaux leading 2-1 in the third set and the score being 30-30 on Mayot’s serve, the 21-year-old was preparing for Mayot’s serve when he collapsed and just crushed onto the court.
The chair umpire and trainer instantly ran toward Cazaux to check out on him, while the Frenchman laid on the ground. While Mayot appeared to be conscious, it was still a pretty scary scene.
Presumably, the Miami heat and conditions got to Cazaux and ultimately led to the Frenchman fainting.
Tough scenes in Miami.. Cazaux fainted and was forced to retire.. pic.twitter.com/P16JfMAFIY
— 🎾💚 (@Tennis4everrr) March 18, 2024
The match didn’t continue as world No. 74 Mayot left the court in a wheelchair.
Mayot was bidding to clinch a comeback win over Mayot
After losing the first set 4-6, Cazaux bounced back in the second set and won it 7-5 to force a decider, in which he was 2-1 up before retiring.
In the first set, world No. 141 Mayot claimed back-to-back breaks in the third and fifth games to open a comfortable 4-1 lead. Down by two breaks, Cazaux managed to get one break back but Mayot held on to his second break and served out for the opener in the 10th game.
Up by a set, Mayot came very early to sealing a win when he earned the first break of the second set in the ninth game for a 5-4 lead and a chance to serve out for the match. On the verge of losing the match, Cazaux responded by winning the next five games – won the second set with a 7-5 scoreline and also opened a 2-0 third-set lead.
After losing five consecutive games, Mayot managed to get the break back in the third game. In the fourth game of the third set, Cazaux was close to getting a break again but then a scary faint happened and the match ended.