Fabio Fognini and Corentin Moutet Exchange Heated Words During Post-Match Handshake at Stuttgart Open

This week at the Stuttgart Open, Italian tennis player Fabio Fognini’s infamous temperament was unmistakably evident during his defeat.

Fognini fell to French competitor Corentin Moutet in a three-set thriller, finishing 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-3. However, the most memorable incident occurred right after match point.

The Italian, having already destroyed his racquet in frustration throughout the match, approached the net following a wayward backhand that sealed Moutet’s victory.

Moutet celebrated by gesturing to his head, sending the ball into the crowd as he made his way to shake hands with Fognini.

In a moment of heated emotion, Fognini was heard speaking to Moutet in French, urging him, “Look at me, look at me!” Moutet sensed that Fognini was in a volatile state and chose to ignore him, even as Fognini clung tightly to Moutet’s hand while his opponent attempted to greet the umpire.

Ranked 109, Fognini attempted to obstruct Moutet’s progress, but Moutet, unfazed, thanked the crowd instead. Fognini was then overheard saying: “Look at me, you little pig! You’re a piece of shit.”

Moutet will next face tournament favourite Alexander Zverev.

Both athletes are no strangers to on-court controversies.

Moutet had previously clashed with Alexander Bublik, necessitating chair umpire Marta Mrozinska to step in to separate them during their heated exchange.

Bublik became furious when Moutet asserted that he was not prepared for the serve, declaring, “I don’t care! Do you want to fight? Let’s go, we’ll meet outside in 10 minutes. This little Frenchman talks but he doesn’t want to fight!”

Fognini, on the other hand, has a history of explosive incidents, including a time when he punched his racquet with such force that it bled, as well as a shocking confrontation with fellow Italian Salvatore Caruso during a gruelling five-set match at the 2021 Australian Open.