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Umpire gobsmacked by tennis player's silly virus gaffe

Riley Morgan
·Sports Reporter
·2-min read
Italy’s Sara Errani (pictured right) waving her hand and apologises to the umpire that reacts.
Italy’s Sara Errani (pictured right) apologises after accidentally throwing her sweatband into the crowd, despite being advised against it during the coronavirus pandemic. (Image: Twitter)

For many top tennis players coming back to competition has been a return to the norm after the coronavirus pandemic, but some are clearly finding old habits hard to forget.

The Palermo Open keeps making headlines for the wrong reasons - as Donna Vekic admitted she had been dining out during competition - after two players at the tournament unwittingly fell back into old habits and had pundits shaking their heads.

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Italy’s Sara Errani defeated Sorana Cirstea in a tough three-set victory overnight and was overjoyed to be back in the winners circle.

But her excitement, and old habits, seemed to cloud her judgement when she threw her sweatband to a fan watching in the crowd.

The kind gesture has become the norm for victorious tennis players around the world, but during the coronavirus pandemic interaction with fans has been limited.

After she tossed the sweatband, Errani immediately realised her mistake and looked at the umpire to apologise.

The umpire comically covered her face with her hands in disbelief.

But Errani was to be outdone in the same tournament by Slovenian Kaja Juvan.

Juvan defeated her opponent in three-sets and following the victory tossed her visor and sweatband to the children cheering her on.

The Slovenian appeared to argue with someone when one of the items fell short, but she went over and still tossed it back to the kids.

Vekic in spotlight after tennis bubble claim

Tennis is one of the sports that has been in the spotlight during the coronavirus pandemic, but for mostly all the wrong reasons.

After the ill-fated of the Adria Tour, hosted by Novak Djokovic, making headlines around the world after players

Most recently, Vekic sparked controversy with a candid admission that she’s not really taking every step to prevent contracting coronavirus.

The World No.24 tennis player, a member of the WTA Player Council, caused a stir after admitting she’d been dining in restaurants and out sightseeing during women’s tennis's competitive return in Sicily.