Benoît Paire believes that the fine imposed on Hugo Gaston, for his cheating in Madrid, is far too high.
” It’s ridiculous. » Benoît Paire did not go overboard to comment on the fine recently imposed on Hugo Gaston. Guilty of several rule violations and anti-game gestures, the Toulouse left-hander was heavily sanctioned by the ATP for throwing a ball from his pocket in the middle of an exchange, in Madrid, hoping that the point would be replayed.
Amount of the fine ? 144,000 dollars, a sum which will be reduced to 72,000 dollars if the Frenchman holds his ground for 12 months. But it’s still huge.
At what moment Hugo said to himself “come on, it’s ok”?
The fine is heavy for Gaston but the gesture is to vomit
pic.twitter.com/9mm7E7BdRw— White Game (@JeuBlanc_off) May 22, 2023
For Pair, it’s too much. “$144,000 is more than he has earned since the beginning of the year”denounces the Avignonnais, who believes that such a scale of sanctions could push many players into retirement. “If more is taken from you than you earn, what is the point of playing tennis? », wonders the Frenchman.
Paire specifies that he does not endorse Gaston’s cheating gesture (“I’m not defending him, it’s not good what he did”), but maintains that the amount of the fine is excessive. “144,000 dollars is the price of an apartment”calculated the Avignonnais.
Paire, for the moment, has been rather spared by this new scale. “Fortunately, I have had few fines this year. I’m in Challenger, I have to be careful, “ estimates the 149th player in the world, who is surveying the second division of the ATP circuit this season, where the earnings are much lower.
