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MANILA - Tennis player Mathieu Montcourt has been found dead at his home in Boulogne-Billancourt, France on Tuesday. The Frenchman, ranked 119th in the world, was 24. According to a TennisWeek.com report, the cause of Montcourt's death is not yet known. The online article also cited a report by radio station RMC which quoted the Association of Tennis Professionals as saying that Montcourt suffered a pulmonary embolism.“Mathieu was a promising player on the rise,” said Patrice Dominguez, technical director of the French Tennis Federation. “He was a very hardworking player and a very kind man,” Dominguez was quoted on TennisWeek.com.World No. 2 Rafael Nadal said he was shocked upon hearing the death of his colleague. “I can't believe it. I knew Mathieu since we were kids. We competed together at all the events at an international level there is since you are a kid… and of course afterwards once becoming professionals,” the Spaniard wrote on RafaelNadal.com.Tennis Week also reported that Montcourt was suspended for eight weeks and fined last August for betting on tennis matches. Montcourt denied such allegations of betting on his own matches. An independent officer also found no evidence showing “any intent to affect the outcome of any matches wagered upon.”The Frenchman’s suspension was shortened in May.
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