October 30, 1996: The day Cedric Pioline showed the Paris public the finger, 26 years before being named tournament director

On October 30, 1996, French tennis player Cedric Pioline showed the Paris-Bercy crowd the middle finger following his second-round loss to Yevgeny Kafelnikov. Pioline was defeated 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 by the Russian world No. 4 amidst persistent disruptions from agitated spectators in the stands. As he exited the court toward the locker room, an exasperated Pioline turned and made an emphatic gesture directed toward disruptive individuals.

Following the match, Pioline clarified in a press conference that his frustration was aimed at a small disruptive group rather than the entire Parisian audience. Pioline went on to reach a career-high ranking of world No. 5 in 2000, and in 2022, he was officially appointed as the tournament director of the Paris Masters 1000.