The French tennis player Benoit Paire has been fined 25 thousand dollars for his racket-smashing meltdown at the Washington Open this week.
French tennis player Benoit Paire. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Paire, known for his volatile temperament, smashed three rackets, kicked a bench abd was then booed off the court after appearing to give up on match point down in his first-round defeat by Marcos Baghdatis.
The 29-year-old initially lost his cool when dropping serve to trail 5-2 in the final set of his 6-3 3-6 6-2 loss.
After falling, he smashed his racket over and over into the court, then took another one from his bag and destroyed that. Another frame bit the dust at the end of the contest.
Paire was sanctioned for "audible obscenity, unsportsmanlike conduct and a lack of giving best effort".
"Yes, yes it's true I got upset yesterday," he wrote on Instagram.
The ATP fine was more than double the appearance money he made at the tournament.
Reuters
