Corentin Moutet and Adrian Andreev penalized by ATP for recent altercation, fined hefty sum

French player Corentin Moutet and Bulgaria's Adrian Andreev have each received a hefty fine of €10,000 for their recent altercation during their Round of 16 match at the Challenger Orleans. On 29th September, after Andreev bested Moutet 2-6, 7-6, 7-6 in front of the Frenchman's home fans, both players were seen pushing each other during their customary handshake in an ugly spat.

The two players were almost on the verge of exchanging blows with each other and the chair umpire had to intervene to stop things from getting worse. The ATP Disciplinary Commission has now come down hard on both players for their unacceptable behavior on court, penalizing them for setting a bad example.

Corentin Moutet even refused to apologize after the match, blaming Andreev for yelling obscenities in his face and prompting the incident in the first place.

"I don't want to apologize for what happened at the end of the game. When a player allows himself to say 'f**k you' twice while looking me in the eye, I can't help but make him understand in my way that these are things that are not done," Moutet explained later.

After the game, Corentin Moutet also criticized the home French crowd for applauding Andreev. Although the Frenchman claimed that the Bulgarian had threatened him during the match, he was ready to talk to him calmly afterward, claiming that Andreev hid from him after their clash.

"You (the crowd) applauded the player at the end of the match. Maybe, for you these are acceptable things. For me, no. In any case, he threatened me and asked me to wait at the exit of the court which I obviously did. I had trouble finding him for 10 minutes. Indeed, he was hidden on the other side by 6 security people. I heard your threats so when you get out of the room where they hid you, I'll be happy to see you carry them out. So, I'm waiting impatiently, we can talk calmly," he added.

Corentin Moutet, Adrian Andreev didn't fight in the locker room: Frenchman's coach Laurent Raymond

Corentin Moutet at US Open 2022. Photo by Elsa/Getty Images

After their heated exchange at the net, it was expected that the duo would aggravate their tussle in the locker room. However, Moutet's coach Laurent Raymond revealed that the duo didn't fight in the locker room.

“I know they wanted to meet after the match but there was no explanation or physical contact. We didn’t let them get close. Once we got back to the hotel, we had dinner together and there was no abnormal excitement," Raymond said while talking to L'Equipe.

Corentin Moutet is current ranked 69th in the Pepperstone ATP rankings while Adrian Andreev is at 211th place. Meanwhile, Andreev's run at Challenger Orleans ended in the semifinals as he lost to fourth seed Quentin Halys in straight sets.