A TENNIS star has been fined almost his entire year’s earnings for his “embarrassing” unsportsmanlike act.
Hugo Gaston took on Borna Coric in the Madrid Open second round at the end of April, losing 6-3 6-3.
Hugo Gaston dropped a spare ball on to the court and was handed a huge fine
Gaston had the £125,000 fine halved after an appeal
But with his Croatian opponent lining up a smash on set point, Gaston deliberately dropped a spare tennis ball on to the back of the clay court – presumably taking it out of his pocket.
If a second ball interferes with a rally, the umpire should call a let.
So it appears the Frenchman was hoping to get the point replayed with his naughty tactic, especially as he pointed to the bouncing ball to appeal.
Remarkably, Gaston was warned by the ATP – who run the men’s tennis tour – for a similar gesture at the end of last year.
Fans piled in on the 22-year-old leftie on social media.
One said: “Embarrassing. He wasn’t even subtle about it. Just threw the ball.”
And another simply added: “Clown.”
Now L’Equipe report the world No108 was fined a whopping £125,000 by the ATP as his Madrid antics were his fourth unsportsmanlike misdemeanor of the year.
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Gaston has only earned £105,000 in 2023 so far, winning just two of his seven ATP Tour level matches and struggling for form on the second-tier Challenger Tour, too.
However, the punishment was halved upon appeal to £62,500 if Gaston avoids any further sanctions in the next 12 months.
ATP rules were made more strict to clamp down on players – with fines increasing by 100 per cent per violation.
The details of the fine, though, have not been confirmed by the player’s coach Younes El Aynaoui.
Gaston is set to earn at least £60,000 after receiving a wildcard for the French Open, which starts on Sunday.
However, 14-time champion Rafael Nadal will not be defending his title following his withdrawal from the event due to injury.
