London: Two of the top French tennis players, Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, have condemned the cowardly attacks carried out in the French capital late on Friday.
Ranked world number 6, the French duo have qualified for the season-ending tournament for the first time and the pair was looking forward to making a more memorable debut at the O2 Arena.
“I would love to be in Paris at the moment. I would want to be with my family and my friends just to know that they are all safe and doing well. Some people did the same thing nearly one year ago [referring to the Charlie Hebdo shooting] and now there is this strange sense of being insecure. For sure it will be strange going back home to Paris,” Mahut told media here a day before the start of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.
The French pair will be in action only on Monday, and that works to their advantage to an extent. “At least we get an additional day to put this horrible incident behind us. Honestly, when I watched it on television I thought the number of casualties would be much more. My thoughts are with the families at this moment when we are looking for peace in this world. I cannot understand which human being can just come and kill other humans like this,” Herbert added.
“I believe that as players, we’ve got to do something about it. But we have to first think about the whole series of horrible events that have taken place. I am scared and can’t even find words to describe how I feel,” he added.
Meanwhile, the world governing body for men’s tennis called for an urgent review of security arrangements for the players and the venue. “No bags larger than a small laptop bag or handbag will be permitted in the O2 during the tournament, and visitors are urged to travel light,” a statement from the ATP said.
