- Fabio Fognini was handed three separate fines for his first round outburst
- He has now been suspended for abusing Swedish umpire Louise Engzell
- He apologised for his behaviour and called himself a ‘hot head’ afterwards
- Fognini received the largest fine in Wimbledon history which was £21,000
Volatile Italian Fabio Fognini has been expelled from the US Open following a foul-mouthed tirade that had already earned him a substantial fine.
During his first round singles defeat to compatriot Stefano Travaglia he swore in his native tongue and called Swedish umpire Louise Engzell a ‘whore’, among other things.
The world No 26 had already been fined £18,500 for his transgressions but now he has been suspended pending a further investigation into whether he has committed a ‘major offence’ under Grand Slam rules.
Fabio Fognini has been suspended from the US Open following his verbal abuse of an umpire
As a result, Italian No 1 Fognini has been withdrawn from the men’s doubles, where he and partner Simone Bolelli were through to the second round.
Fognini was handed three separate fines by tournament organisers, including one of £11,500. The maximum fine for any single offence is £15,000.
If the 30-year-old is found to have committed a major offence, Fognini could be fined up to £190,000 and possibly suspended from future grand slams.
The Italian was fined more than £18,000 for three offences of unsportsmanlike conduct
Fognini issued an apology 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.’
Fognini was given the biggest fine in Wimbledon history in 2014 when he was penalised £21,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct.