US Open: Fabio Fognini suspended from tournament for insulting umpire

Image source, AFP

Image caption, Fognini has won once on the ATP Tour in 2017 in Gstaad

Italian Fabio Fognini has been suspended from the US Open for verbally abusing an umpire in his first-round defeat by compatriot Stefano Travaglia.

The 30-year-old world number 26 was heard using insulting language towards Swedish official Louise Engzell.

He had reached the third round of the men's doubles but was withdrawn by tournament organisers.

In 2014 Fognini was fined $27,500, the biggest penalty in Wimbledon history, for unsportsmanlike conduct.

For his latest misdemeanour in New York he had already been handed three separate fines totalling $24,000 (拢18,500), which will be deducted from his $50,000 prize money for losing in the first round of the singles.

A US Open tournament statement said he was "provisionally suspended... pending a final determination whether a major offence has been committed during his first-round singles match.

"The provisional suspension is with immediate effect and, therefore, Mr Fognini has been withdrawn from his upcoming doubles match."

Fognini apologised for his behaviour in a post on Twitter, saying: "First of all I would apologise to you fans, to the referee for what happened.

"It was just a very bad day, but it did not forgive my behaviour in the match. Although I'm a hot-head (and though I've been right in most circumstances) I was wrong. But in the end it's only a tennis game."