The inglorious temper of Italian tennis star Fabio Fognini, the former World No. 9, was on full display at the Stuttgart Open this week as he called his opponent Corentin Moutet a “pig” after losing his first-round match.
Playing on a wildcard entry for the event, Fognini snapped his racquet over his knee and threw it away in frustration. Moutet of France defeated him 6-4, 6-7, 6-3, hit a ball into the stands to celebrate, and then walked over for the customary handshake.
Even as Fognini kept murmuring, Moutet ignored him and did not respond verbally, although the Italian held onto his hand firmly. Moutet patted Fognini on the back after the handshake and then shook the referee’s hand. But Fognini had not stopped his rant.
He then suddenly said in French: “Regarde-moi, petit cochon!” – or “Look at me, you little pig!” He allegedly added in Italian, “You’re a piece of shit!” The fracas has been reported by the Italian sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, among others.
Moutet will take on tournament favourite Alexander Zverev in the next round. Both players have had their fair share of controversies on court.
Earlier this year, Moutet got involved in a controversy with Alexander Bublik, with the pair needing to be kept apart by chair umpire Marta Mrozinska. Bublik became incensed after the Frenchman claimed he was not ready to receive serve.
Fognini, now ranked 109, is no stranger to controversy. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, he yelled at himself using an anti-gay slur during a loss. “Obviously I didn’t want to offend anyone’s feelings,” Fognini later wrote on Instagram. “I love the LGBT community and I apologise for the nonsense that I let out,” he added, posting with a rainbow background.
In 2017, he was expelled from the US Open doubles event for insulting the chair umpire during his first-round singles loss. He was later handed a suspension of two Grand Slam tournaments.