Why are fans demanding courtside advertising boards to be removed from French Open 2026?

The French Open has come under heavy criticism after Turkish tennis player Zeynep Sonmez suffered an injury during her doubles match because of a courtside advertising board. The incident happened shortly after British star Katie Boulter narrowly avoided a similar accident at Roland Garros. Fans and players have now raised serious concerns over player safety and the placement of sponsor boards near the court.

Sonmez twisted her ankle after colliding with a Lacoste advertising board during her second-round doubles match. She needed medical treatment and was later ruled unfit to continue. The incident quickly sparked anger online, with many fans blaming tournament organisers for putting sponsorship visibility ahead of player safety. Boulter had earlier warned about the same issue after nearly falling during her singles match on Thursday night.

Katie Boulter and fans slam French Open over the courtside boards

The controversy started when Katie Boulter almost tripped over one of the advertising boards during her second-round singles match. The British player escaped without injury but immediately voiced concern over the danger posed by the courtside setup.

A day later, Zeynep Sonmez was not as fortunate. During her doubles match alongside Tatjana Maria, the Turkish player lost balance. She crashed into the backboard. She rolled her ankle badly and could not continue the match after receiving treatment.

The boards carried the name and logo of French Open clothing partner Lacoste. Fans were furious that the boards remained in place despite Boulter’s earlier warning.

“These advertising boards are unnecessary @rolandgarros players safety is more important than advertising Lacoste on the playing surface. Not really that hard to figure out,” wrote a fan.

“Again? This is beyond idiotic. Just put those things away,” another fan posted.

“Roland Garros really deserves to be sued, she was lucky it wasn’t something serious but for real… what’s the point of those things on court? Write the name Lacoste on that banner behind and that’s it, they risk player’s health for sponsors,” another X user added.

“Seriously this slam is THE WORST for players!!! I hope she is okay and can make grass season,” another fan wrote.

Boulter also reacted strongly after learning about Sonmez’s injury. “Not again”, the Briton posted with a distressed emoji on X. Fans pointed out that organisers failed to act even after Boulter publicly warned about the danger.

Boulter later exited the French Open after losing to Anastasia Potapova in the second round. Sonmez had already lost in singles to Daria Kasatkina before the doubles injury forced her withdrawal.