In an interview for L’Equipe after her singles second match in Rio, Kristina Mladenovic further elaborated on the incident that provoked her outburst.
Outfit trouble
Prior to going out on the court for their first round doubles match, Mladenovic and Caroline Garcia were informed that their outfits do not match and will have to be changed. Mladenovic and Garcia had both donned their sponsor outfits and Mladenovic was in white while Garcia was in blue. They were also told that it is against the rules and they may risk disqualification from the match.
At that point, both women were flustered and fortunately for them, Mladenovic had a spare outfit that was in the same white color that she was currently wearing. Garcia though had to wear it inside out due to having different sponsors before they eventually took to the court for their match.
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And the first set seemed to reflect their stress as they never really got going and were handed a bagel. Despite fighting back to take the second set, their quest for a medal ended as they lost the third set.
Mladenovic outburst
A very upset Mladenovic immediately took to social media, her Twitter account venting her unhappiness with the French Tennis Federation (FFT). She was furious as to how the rules were not checked beforehand which put them under unnecessary stress.
In the interview with L’Equipe, Mladenovic brought up that she had a talk with FFT Director, Arnauld Di Pasquale on the matter. “Coming back to the doubles, it has been a very disappointing incident. I spoke with the FFT Director and I admitted I said heavy words a few minutes after the match, but I do not regret anything,” revealed the Frenchwoman.
She also mentioned she doesn’t know the reason for the outfit confusion. “It must have been some kind of misunderstanding between ITF and (French) Federation. I do not know what happened, but it does not interest us,” added Mladenovic. “However it doesn’t totally justify our loss,” explained the Frenchwoman.