Not-So-Sneaky Tennis Player Nearly Fined More Than Year's Entire Earnings After Rolling Ball Onto Court To Try And Get Redo

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Hugo Gaston thought he was slick. He wasn't, and now he has to pay a fine that almost cost him more money than he has made thus far in 2023.

Gaston has been ranked as high as No. 58 in the world. The 22-year-old lefty is currently No. 108.

His fine stems from an incident that happened at the Madrid Open.

Gaston was competing against Borna Coric in the second round April 28, a match that he went on to lose 6-3, 6-3 in straight sets. But not for lack of trying!

It all went down in the first set of the best-of-three-set tennis match.

Gaston was down five games to three, but had a chance to close the gap during a tiebreaker in the ninth game. He served to Coric, who returned with a backhand to the corner that took Gaston mostly out of play.

Rather than trying to hustle back and get in position for a return, Gaston grabbed the second ball from his pocket and not-so-sneakily rolled it onto the court. It was an attempt to get the point replayed.

There was only one problem— Gaston clearly rolled the ball himself. That, of course, is not allowed. Nor does it warrant a replay.

Even if Gaston had put on an Oscar-worthy performance (he didn't), the umpire was aware of his antics. Coric won the point, the game, and the set.

Gaston was given his fourth unsportsmanlike conduct violation of the season and went on to lose.

As a result of his roll, Gaston was fined 144,000 euros, or about $155,000. Considering that he has made a little bit more than $120,000 in prize money during 2023, his fine would have cost him more than every penny he has earned this year.

Fortunately for Gaston, that is not how things played out after his appeal. The ATP Tour announced its ruling on Monday and reduced his fine by half, to 72,000 euros, so long as he does not commit an additional violation while on probation over the course of the next year.

While paying out $77,500 of his $120,000ish yearly earnings isn't ideal, it's certainly better than paying out more than his yearly earnings! Gaston was spared by the appeal.