David Nalbandian defaulted Queen's Club final after he kicked an advertising hoarding which left a line judge with blood gushing from his shin.
Nalbandian, who won the first set 7-6 on a tie-break, was broken early in the second set by Croat Marin Cilic before kicking out in frustration, which led to the hoarding causing a laceration on the line judge's shin. As blood seeped from the man's shin, he was also in clear shock at the flashpoint.
Argentine Nalbandian then removed his bandana as it appeared the final had ended, much to the frustration of the crowd who were not informed of proceedings.
Chris Kermode, tournament director, told BBC Sport: "The ATP have enforced us to end the final with a code violation. There's not a lot we can do about it."
During the presentation, Cilic admitted he felt "sorry" for the attendants before Nalbandian, to applause and a flurry of jeers, spoke to Sue Barker.
"I'm very sorry to do that but sometimes you get very frustrated on court and you have to control that. I agree I made a mistake, it's a very tough moment in a final like that.
"But sometimes we feel a lot of pressure from the ATP, and it didn't have to end like that. I'm very sorry."