A TENNIS STAR has been banished from the French Open after repeatedly trying to kiss a female journalist live on air.
Maxime Hamou had just been knocked out of the first-round of Roland Garros when he grabbed broadcast reporter Maly Thoams around the neck.
The 21-year-old then kept trying to kiss her with his hands on her shoulders despite attempts to pull away.
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The Frenchman has been blasted across social network after the shocking incident which was shown live on Eurosport show Avantage Leconte on Monday.
French politician Cécile Duflot blasted: “He kisses her by force, she tries to get away, he holds her by the neck and everyone… laughs #tired.
“If I hadn’t been live on air, I would have punched him.”
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One other added: “This is shocking. What was he thinking? So inappropriate.”
And one said: “What an idiot, he needs to sort himself out.”
Hamou has a highest ATP singles ranking of 211, but was a junior as high as eight in 2013.
He has a career earnings of around £91,000 after breaking onto the scene in 2015.
In 2016, West Indies cricketer Chris Gayle was blasted after he asked a female presenter out on a date during a live interview.
He was fined £4,900 for the incident for “improper conduct”.
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