Corentin Moutet was fined $40,000 by the ATP Tour after swearing seven times in a live interview at Queen's Club. The punishment hit hard because it erased almost all of the prize money he earned at the tournament.
He had won about £32,800 for reaching the second round at the ATP 500 event, while the fine was described as the maximum punishment for unsportsmanlike conduct. Moutet appealed the sanction on Friday after the ATP announced it.
Queen's Club interview
The episode came after his first-round win over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard on Tuesday. During the on-court interview, he used an expletive to describe how he felt when Perricard saved a match point with a 142mph second serve, then repeated the word three more times after the interviewer asked him not to.
The interview was cut short, and the presenter apologised for the language. Clare Balding also apologised afterwards. Moutet later wrote on Instagram that he was "just joking" and hoped people "didn't get offended".
ATP Tour discipline
The ATP said the fine was for "unsportsmanlike conduct" and "the use of profane language during his post-match interview". The figure matters because Sky Sports reported that the $40,000 penalty was more than 90 per cent of his prize money and worked out at £4,321 per swear word.
Moutet, who is world number 36, has already had disciplinary problems. He was defaulted from the 2022 Adelaide International for swearing at the umpire after losing the second set against Laslo Djere, and the FFT dropped him in November 2022, removing his financial aid because of a lack of "exemplary behaviour".
Queen's 2026 pressure
The latest sanction leaves little room for error the next time Moutet is under the lights. He has won only one of his past eight ATP Tour matches, and he also lost to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the last 16 on Thursday, after the interview that triggered the fine.
Whether the appeal reduces the $40,000 bill or leaves it untouched is the next issue for Moutet. For now, the fine stands as the most expensive consequence of seven swear words at Queen's Club.
