ATP fines Hugo Gaston 72,000 euros after two-balls incident

French tennis player Hugo Gaston was fined 144,000 euros ($156,000) for unsportsmanlike behaviour after dropping a second ball from his pocket in an attempt to avoid losing a point at the Madrid Open, the ATP - men’s tennis governing body - said Monday. The fine was reduced to 72,000 euros ($78,000) after an appeal. It is a staggering amount of money for someone whose prize money this year has been $121,712. The ATP said the fine was reduced under the condition that “Gaston no longer commits such an offence over a probationary period of 12 months.” Gaston tried to force the umpire to play a ’let’ during his second-round defeat by Borna Coric last month when the Croatian was set to smash a winner.

La vidéo du point en question lors du Masters 1000 de Madrid. 😶 https://t.co/fXt0J4CcjS pic.twitter.com/6eUBkDLKHz

— Univers Tennis 🎾 (@UniversTennis) May 22, 2023

The ATP said that the fine reflected the fact that the 22-year-old was previously warned about similar incidents. “This was Gaston’s fourth unsportsmanlike behaviour offence during the 2023 season,” the ATP said. Gaston, world number 108, has received a wildcard for the upcoming French Open which starts Sunday. (With inputs from AFP) Read all the  Latest News ****,  Trending News ****,  Cricket News ****,  Bollywood News ****,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook****,  Twitter and  Instagram****.