‘I’m a Victim and Totally Innocent’ Says US Open Photographer Who Walked Onto the Court
The photographer who made international headlines after interrupting a pivotal match point in a US Open tennis match last night has broken his silence, stating that he did nothing wrong and is a victim of an online mob.
The photographer, whose identity was unknown when news stories broke overnight and this morning, is veteran freelance photojournalist Selcuk Acar. He broke his silence this morning in an interview over text with Daily Mail.
“I’m a victim and totally innocent,” Acar says. “This incident has already turning into a lynching, and although I’m innocent, I’ve suffered greatly.”
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) quickly stripped the photographer of his credentials. However, he says that he did not do anything wrong and had been told that he could enter the court by a security official at Louis Armstrong Stadium. Acar says the security personnel told him “the match is stopped.”
When the photographer began walking alongside the court, which is not permitted during play, Acar says he realized that Bonzi, the unranked challenger who ultimately topped mercurial Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev in five sets, was preparing for his second serve during a match point in the third set.
“I didn’t know and see if Medvedev saw me,” Acar told Daily Mail.
The photographer says he knows better than to make that mistake, and would never have done so had he not been instructed to enter the court by security.
“I’m not a photojournalist that can make such a mistake,” he says. Acar says he is talking with his employers, Turkish agency Anadolu Agency, in this case, and attorneys about his options.
The photographer claims that if there are security cameras on site, which surely there must be, they will clear his name and show that he did not do anything wrong.
The controversy would likely not have spiraled out of control had the match’s chair umpire, Greg Allensworth, not granted Bonzi a redo of his failed first serve after Acar was spotted walking court side.
Although Allenworth’s decision is in line with sporting rules, it has proven controversial and led to Medvedev having a lengthy meltdown on the court, during which he yelled at the umpire and alleged that he just wanted Medvedev to lose the third set so he could go home. An incident that could have caused a few seconds of delay and gone entirely unnoticed blew up because Medvedev erupted, much to the photographer’s dismay.
Medvedev said after the match that he didn’t have any issues with the photographer.
“I was not upset with the photographer. I was upset with the decision. The delay from the photographer was probably four seconds and a half. I’m not sure if it’s enough for a (first) serve,” Medvedev told reporters following the match, per AP.
As of now, Selcuk Acar’s credentials remain revoked.
