The French tennis player Elliot Benchetrit , dubbed ‘Bananaman’ by Australian media, received considerable amount of negative attention on social media after a clip of him with a ball girl went viral. Since this incident, Benchetrit was knocked out of the tournament in Melbourne. He was beaten in straight sets in the first round by Japan's Yuichi Sugita on Tuesday. 

BIZZARO WORLD With Monique Dhillon

MELBOURNE - During the Australian Open qualifying match Sunday, Elliot Benchetrit of France asked a ball girl to peel him a banana between matches. In a now viral clip shows the chair umpire John Blom called Benchetrit out for not peeling his own banana.

In the clip, filmed during his win over Dmitry Popko, 21 year old Elliot Benchetrit requests the ball girl to peel him a banana. The tennis umpire John Blom reprimanded Benchetrit to peel it himself. 

Tennis Twitter went into a Twitter frenzy after Tennis legend Martina Navratilova backed the umpire's decision to intervene and called Benchetrit entitled: saying “What’s next- grapes? #entitlement. John did the right thing, that’s for sure.”

After the social media outrage Elliot Benchetrit, has defended himself for asking the ball girl to peel him a banana during the 2020 Australian Open. Benchetrit was criticised for his actions

Benchetrit tells CNN why he made the request that made him get scolded by chair umpire John Blom. 

"At 6-5 in the final set, during the changeover, I asked the ball girl to peel the banana for me as I had put some cream on my hands in order not to sweat. 

“She had done it once before at the beginning of the match. But the second time the chair umpire stepped in and told me that the ball girl was not my slave and I had to peel the banana myself.”

Benchetrit continues to say "I could not believe that the umpire said that and I find incredible how this situation got out of control on social media without people knowing what really happened on court." 

Benchetrit went on to win the match 4-6 6-2 6-3, ensuring his progression to the first round of the tournament, where he will face Japan's Yuichi Sugita.

Benchetrit has since been knocked out of the tournament in Melbourne. He was beaten in straight sets in the first round by Japan's Yuichi Sugita on Tuesday.