French tennis player Gaston's unsportsmanlike conduct draws $155K fine; tops his 2023 earnings

LONDON (AP) — French tennis player Hugo Gaston was fined 144,000 euros (about $155,000) by the ATP Tour — more than he’s collected in prize money so far in 2023 — for pulling a ball out of his pocket and throwing it on the court during a point in an attempt to get a do-over, his fourth unsportsmanlike conduct violation this season.

The tour announced its ruling on Monday, saying that Gaston’s appeal of the punishment got it reduced by half, to 72,000 euros (about $77,500), as long as he meets certain conditions, including no additional violations during a probationary period of a year.

The ATP said unsportsmanlike conduct fines “increase by 100% with each consecutive violation in the same season.”

Gaston has made a little more than $120,000 in prize money this year while going 2-5 on tour. He is a 22-year-old left-hander who has been ranked as high as 58th and is currently 108th.

The fine was prompted by Gaston’s attempt to get the chair umpire to call off a point and replay it during his 6-3, 6-3 loss to Borna Coric in the second round of the Madrid Open on April 28.

Last week, the French Tennis Federation awarded Gaston a wild-card entry into the French Open, which begins on Sunday. The best Grand Slam showing of his career came at Roland Garros in 2020, when he reached the fourth round there. He made it to the third round in Paris a year ago.

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