Fabio Fognini has been punished for unsportsmanlike behavior and sexist statements.The Grand Slam Board awarded the 30-year-old with a fine of $96,000 (approximately €81,000) and a suspended suspension for two Grand Slam tournaments, one of which must be the US Open.
If Fognini does not pay for any further defaults by the end of 2019, the fine will be halved and the impending suspension will expire.
Fognigni had described the chair referee Louise Engzell (Sweden) as “slut” and “ugly squirrel” among other things during her first round defeat in the singles at the US Open in September.The Grand Slam Board already had the world rankings-28 at that time.in New York with a fine of $24,000 and suspended from the tournament.
“Mr. Fognini accepts the decision and will not challenge it.He has shown remorse for his misconduct,”the Grand Slam Board said in a statement.
Fognini, married to former US Open winner Flavia Pennetta, is known as Hitzkopf.In Wimbledon, too, he had to pay a fine of around $25,000 for bad behavior in 2014.