Europe 1 with AFP / Photo credits: JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP 15:42 pm, May 22, 2023

The tennis player, Hugo Gaston, guilty of unsportsmanlike conduct during a match, for the fourth time this season, was fined 144,000 euros at the Masters 1000 in Madrid. The French player is accused of deliberately dropping a second ball on the court during an exchange he was going to lose.

Hugo Gaston was fined 144,000 euros for "unsportsmanlike conduct" during his second-round match at the Masters 1000 in Madrid, the ATP said Monday. The French player (former world 58th dropped to 108th this week) is accused of deliberately dropping a second ball on the court during an exchange he was going to lose against Croatian Borna Coric (defeat 6-3, 6-3) on April 28, in order to force the referee to replay the point.

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Fourth offence for unsportsmanlike behaviour

The particularly high level of the fine is explained by the repetition of such behavior, says the body that manages the men's professional circuit. "According to ATP rules since 2023, fines related to unsporting behaviour increase by 100% with each violation in the same season. This was Gaston's fourth unsportsmanlike behavior offense during the 2023 season," the ATP said.

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The player files the appeal

However, the player has appealed and the fine "will be reduced to 72,000 euros under certain conditions, including that Gaston no longer commits such an offense over a probationary period of twelve months," adds the body. Since the beginning of the 2023 season, Hugo Gaston (22) has earned 114,218 euros. Beneficiary of an invitation to play the first round of the main draw of Roland-Garros (May 28-June 11), he is guaranteed to earn at least 69,000 euros (promised to the losers of the first round).