29-Year-Old British Tennis Star Ridicules ATP for Its Astronomical Fine on Hugo Gaston With a Soccer Star Reference With Significantly Graver Offence

Unsportsmanlike conduct is something that no professional sport tolerates. However, how athletes are punished for it differs from one sport to the next. British tennis player Liam Broady took to Twitter to shed some light on the drastic difference between soccer and tennis in terms of how the respective sports punish unsportsmanlike conduct.

In his tweet, 29-year-old Broady referred to two incidents. The first incident involved Premier League soccer player, Ivan Toney, while the second involved the French tennis ace Hugo Gaston. Broady’s tweet highlighted how Toney’s punishment was far more lenient compared to the punishment Gaston received. The Briton was also of the opinion that the soccer player’s violation was far more serious than Gaston’s violation.

Liam Broady can’t believe the severity of French tennis player Gaston’s punishment

For 22-year-old Frenchman Hugo Gaston, his Madrid Open match against 2020 ATP Star of Tomorrow Borna Coric proved to be a nightmare. Not only did Gaston suffer a heavy defeat, but he also received a hefty fine for reaching into his pocket and throwing a ball while a set point was being contested. Gaston’s actions were in gross violation of ATP rules. As a result, the ATP fined Gaston a whopping sum of $156,000, which is believed to be an entire year’s worth of earnings for the player.

According to Liam Broady, the fine levied on Gaston by the ATP was incredibly harsh. To prove his point, he compared the fine levied on British soccer player Ivan Toney, who was found guilty of breaching the soccer association of England’s betting rules. Broady tweeted, “Ivan Toney got a £50,000 fine for 232 breaches of betting rules. And Gaston get €133,000 for this I’m dead”. Broady followed this statement up with three laughing emojis, which reflected his amusement at the extent of Gaston’s fine.

The ATP defended its decision to levy such a strict fine on Gaston. In an official statement, the apex body of men’s professional tennis said, “This was Gaston’s fourth unsportsmanlike behavior offence during the 2023 season”. However, following an appeal from the Frenchman, the ATP reduced the fine to just under $78,000. The ATP warned Gaston that the fine will increase if he commits another similar offence over the next year.

Ivan Toney’s violations and punishments

Soccer star Ivan Toney was enjoying a fine season for Premier League club Brentford. The striker scored 20 league goals across 33 games. However, a few days ago, the Football Association (FA), English soccer’s apex body, found Toney guilty of a whopping 232 breaches of its betting rules.