After a half-hearted Madrid campaign with an elimination in the second round against the Croatian Borna Coric (16th) (3-6/3-6), Hugo Gaston will mark this edition of the Spanish tournament in spite of himself. The French would have received an astronomical fine of 144,000 euros for an act of anti-game. The severity of the sanction is linked to a new regulation of the code of conduct at the ATP and to the fact that the Toulousain is considered a repeat offender. For now, his coach Younes El Aynaoui has not confirmed the fine received by his player.
The facts go back to his elimination in Madrid, against Borna Coric, Gaston voluntarily dropped the ball from his pocket on an opposing smash, in the hope of replaying the point, an act characterized as anti-game. Already warned by the ATP at the end of last year for a similar gesture, the Frenchman had not pleaded for his cause this season with a few acts of anger on the court accompanied by fines.
If the fine is confirmed, the current 110th player in the world will have to pay 144,000 euros while he has only accumulated 117,361 dollars in prize money since the beginning of the year.
Following the last packages announced, the Frenchman is directly qualified for the 1st round of Roland-Garros, he will receive at least 69,000 euros for his participation in the Parisian Grand Slam, enough to help him pay for his mistakes.