THE French tennis federation, or FFF, has provisionally suspended Kristina Mladenovic, Caroline Garcia and Benoit Paire for “damaging” its image at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

    Paire broke “team rules,” the FFF said in its statement Sunday. He reportedly sometimes stayed away from the village, or came back late. He also made dismissive comments about the importance of the Games because there are no ranking points.

    Mladenovic and Garcia “sharply criticized” the FFF following their defeat in the first round of the doubles over a clothing mix-up, saying that they were not informed by their federation that, as doubles partners, they had to wear the same colors. The FFF said all three showed an “unacceptable attitude,” adding that they are provisionally suspended from selection until a final decision is made Sept. 24.(SD-Agencies)