French tennis player scolded by umpire for asking ball girl to peel his banana

A banana was at the centre of an unsavoury moment in Australian Open tennis qualification in Melbourne.

Frenchman Elliot Benchetrit was told off by the umpire for asking a ball girl to peel a banana for him during a break in play while playing Dmitry Popko at the weekend.

Benchetrit claimed he was unable to open the banana himself due to bandages on his fingers, but that didn't wash with umpire John Blom,

He then tried to open it with his teeth.

Benchetrit, ranked number 231 in the world, won the match 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, and will face Japan’s Yuichi Sugita in round one today.