Former world number one Andy Roddick has defended Corentin Moutet after the Frenchman received a $40,000 fine for swearing during a live BBC interview.
Moutet swore repeatedly after his first-round win over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard at the HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club on June 16. He ignored warnings from interviewer Jenny Drummond and repeated the expletive three times.
The ATP issued the maximum penalty for verbal abuse. Moutet earned about $43,500 for reaching the second round but was left with only a few hundred dollars after the fine.
Roddick discussed the matter on The Served Podcast. “I thought the Moutet thing was funny,” he said. “If I sit here and criticize someone for language after what we do on this show every week, that’s heights of hypocrisy that haven’t been reached before.”
Co-host Jon Wertheim disagreed. Roddick acknowledged the difference in views but maintained that the fine was excessive given the lighthearted context.