Tennis star Hugo Gaston should be “kicked off the Tour” according to one fan, after the Frenchman retired from his clash with Marco Trungelliti when the Argentine needed just one point to win the match. Gaston is ranked at No 92 in the world and reached the second qualifying round at this year’s Wimbledon.
Gaston went head-to-head with Trungelliti in the first round of the Verona Challenger in Italy earlier this week as the players met for the second time in their careers. Gaston won the first set 6-3, before his opponent took the second set 6-2.
The momentum stayed with Trungelliti during the final set decider as he appeared on course to claim victory in the usual manner. But at 2-5, 0-40 down in the third set, Gaston decided to retire from the match and made his way to the net to shake hands with the South American.
And tennis fans weren’t happy with the 22-year-old’s behaviour. “No respect for this loser. Should be kicked off the tour,” wrote Pretend_Tea6261 on Reddit. “This is first class s***housery,” penned Lechy.
Meanwhile, NicholeTheOtter penned: “Seriously, he just gives up when Trungelliti had match points? Should have just played that game and let Trungelliti get his win legitimately. He is a sore loser and should have been fined for such actions.”
Some fans speculated whether Gaston may have been injured. But Kezmangotagoal added: “Embarrassing tbh. Even if he really is injured, he’s managed to get through the match with a point left to play, just let your opponent win properly.”
Gaston has courted controversy in the past and was involved in another scandal at the Madrid Open at the end of April during his 6-3, 6-3 defeat at the hands of Borna Coric. With the Croatian ace lining up to hit a smash on set point, Gaston dropped a spare tennis ball onto the court after taking it out of his pocket.
The umpire is supposed to call a let should a second ball interfere with a rally and Gaston pointed at the bouncing ball in appeal. But Coric’s winner stood, with Gaston later being handed a whopping £63,000 fine by the ATP as it was his fourth unsportsmanlike conduct violation of the season.
Unsportsmanlike conduct fines “increase by 100 per cent with each consecutive violation in the same season,” explained the ATP in a statement.