Fabio Fognini was fined $2000 after he flashed his middle finger to the crowd and having elbowed Wang Chuhan at the net after he crashed out in the first round of the Shanghai Masters
Fabio Fognini has had a history of being fined by the ATP and other tournaments for his rudeness.
Fabio Fognini (Source: Tennis.com)
Tennis is a gentleman’s sport, and despite the opinions of many players who want the sport to be more aggressive, it always has been and always will remain so. Nobody loves a bad loser, and especially in tennis, if a player is rude to the opponent, match officials, or the crowd, they are often penalized depending on the extent of their rudeness. Italian tennis player Fabio Fognini learned that firsthand at the 2014 Shanghai Masters, when he was fined $2000 by the ATP for his actions on the court.
During his first round match in the 2014 Shanghai Masters against Wang Chuhan, Fognini lost his calm and ended up being penalized for it. Wang Chuhan was World No. 553 at the time, and being from China, he received the support of the home crowd. The constant support against him got under the skin of Fabio Fognini, and he got under tremendous pressure. It must be noted that Fabio Fognini was the 17th seed in the tournament.
Wang Chuhan had already won the first set and he was on match point at 5-4 in the second set. After a valiant effort, Fognini was unable to save the match and Wang Chuhan won. The two shook hands but things took a turn from there. When Wang Chuhan was on his way to shake hands with the chair umpire, Fognini elbowed his neck ever so slightly and went away. While he was on his way out of the court, he also showed his middle finger to the crowd.
Fognini was fined $2000 for his actions and got eliminated in the very next round. However, he never spoke a word about the incident, and he never had anything to say against Fabio Fognini.
Fabio Fognini’s £27,500 in Wimbledon 2014
Evidently, Fabio Fognini has had a history of being fined for his rudeness even outside of the Shanghai Masters. He was fined as much as £27,500 in the 2014 Wimbledon for threatening to smash his racket on tournament official Wayne McEwen’s head during his first-round match.
Moreover, he also questioned the authorities about his match against Kevin Anderson not being played on one of the show courts, as according to him, he was being punished for his earlier actions. Fabio Fognini got eliminated from the first round of the 2023 Shanghai Masters as well.
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Rishab Dutta
(794 Articles Published)