LONDON, June 19 (Reuters) – French player Corentin Moutet has lost nearly all his prize money from the Queen’s Club tournament after being fined for an expletive-laden post-match interview.
Moutet was fined $40,000 for swearing seven times while being interviewed on court by the BBC following his opening-round win over compatriot Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
In a statement the ATP said the 27-year-old was punished for unsportsmanlike conduct but has appealed.
Moutet, who lost his next match to Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, made $43,000 for reaching the second round.
The world number 36 was asked by the interviewer not to repeat the swear word after uttering it to describe being aced on match point by a 142mph second serve.
He then said it three more times before the interview was cut short and apologies were made to the crowd and TV viewers. Afterwards he wrote on Instagram that he was ‘just joking’.
Moutet has found himself in disciplinary trouble before.
In 2022 he was defaulted from the Adelaide International for swearing at the umpire in a match against Serbia’s Laslo Djere.
The French Tennis Federation (FFT) also cut him off that year because of issues with his behaviour.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
