French Open: Alex Bogomolov downs racket on match point against Arnaud Clement

US-raised Russian tennis player Alex Bogomolov Jr has quit his first-round match at the French Open moments before serving the match point against Arnaud Clement of France.

According to the Associated Press, Bogomolov was trailing Clement 6-2 3-6 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 5-4 at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris when he downed racket and limped to the net to shake his opponent's hand.

His reason for walking off court? "I got cramps… My whole leg was straight. I couldn't bend it. I couldn't walk.

"I didn't want to risk a potential ligament damage or something. And you can't get a trainer for that."

Reuters reported that Bogomolov, playing at the French Open for the third time, was booed by the Court One crowd before a sympathetic Clement, 34, asked them to stop. 

Clement also reportedly suffered from cramping on what was a blazing hot day in the French capital and ended his post-match press conference early to receive treatment. 

He said he nearly faced the same problem at the beginning of the last set.

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"I was starting to feel cramps, as well," Clement said. "I know that some people shouted at him. I didn't like that, even though they were the same way encouraging me."

Bogomolov only changed his nationality from American to Russian last year.

Player Michael Llodra, who won his own first-round match, watched the end of the Bogomolov-Clement match after his victory, remarking:

"That was very surprising. It doesn't happen all that often, to win this way or to end the match. If you look at the scores, you'd say: 'It's a pity he cannot play this final shot.'"

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