Tennis star Corentin Moutet has been fined £30,000 by the ATP Tour following a profanity-laden interview with the BBC after his first-round victory at the HSBC Championships at Queen's Club in London.
Incident at Queen's Club
The Frenchman, 27, defeated compatriot Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-7, 6-4, 7-6 on Tuesday. Speaking with BBC's Jenny Drummond after the match, Moutet initially remained composed, praising his opponent and expressing happiness with the win. However, when asked about a 142mph second serve from Mpetshi Perricard, he let slip an expletive, saying: "That's so frustrating. When I had match point I was on the second serve, you aim in the middle, whatever you do just put the ball in the court and then he hits me with 142. I was like, 'F***, I will have to serve.'"
When Drummond asked him to watch his language, Moutet cheekily persisted, repeating the expletive three times. The interviewer responded firmly: "No, no, no!" and urged him to keep it appropriate for her final question. However, when asked what it was like to secure his first win on grass, Moutet again replied with the same expletive three times.
Apology and Fine
Drummond was compelled to apologise to viewers as she quickly ended the interview, saying: "OK. Corentin we need to improve that for the next round. Apologies everyone. Corentin Moutet." Later, Moutet posted on social media that he was "just joking," but the ATP Tour still imposed a fine.
In a statement on Friday, the ATP Tour said: "Following the use of profane language by Corentin Moutet during his post-match interview after his first-round match at the HSBC Championships at The Queen's Club in London this week, the player has received a fine of $40,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct." The statement added that Moutet will appeal the fine, and no further comment will be made during the appeal process.
Tournament Outcome
After his first-round win, Moutet advanced to the round of 16 where he faced Alejandro Davidovich on Thursday. His tournament ended with a 6-4, 6-3 defeat.
