French tennis player Hugo Gaston faced a significant blow as the ATP Tour imposed a hefty fine of 144,000 euros upon him. Gaston’s offence involved pulling a ball out of his pocket and throwing it onto the court during a point, in a misguided attempt to request a do-over. The penalty amounts to more than Gaston’s collected prize money so far in 2023, highlighting the costly consequences of his unsportsmanlike conduct.
Despite the hefty initial fine, Hugo Gaston appealed the punishment, resulting in a reduction to 72,000 euros by the ATP Tour. However, this reduction comes with certain conditions. Gaston must avoid any additional violations during a probationary period of one year.
While going 2-5 on the tour, Gaston earned a little over $120,000 in prize money. He is a left-handed pitcher who is 22 years old and now holds a 108th-place ranking after reaching as high as 58th. During his 6-3, 6-3 loss to Borna Coric in the second round of the Madrid Open on April 28, Gaston tried to get the chair umpire to cancel a point and replay it, which led to the fine. Gaston received a wild-card entry into the French Open last week from the French Tennis Federation. The French Open starts on Sunday. In 2020, he had his finest Grand Slam performance at Roland Garros, as he advanced to the fourth round.