Fognini apologizes for racist slur

ROME: Temperamental Italian tennis player Fabio Fognini has apologized after being heard hurling a racist insult at a Serb rival that later circulated on YouTube.
The Italian was heard to call Serbian qualifier Filip Krajinovic a “shitty gypsy” during his straight sets defeat in the second round of the Hamburg Open on Wednesday.
A video of Fognini showed him muttering the Italian word “zingaro,” meaning gypsy, while he had his back to Krajinovic during the match.
After it was picked up on social media, Fognini tweeted in Italian: “I made a mistake. I didn’t want to offend anyone. ... I know Filip very well and anyone who plays sports knows that at times you get carried away saying things that make no sense.” Krajinovic, ranked 152th, won 6-4, 6-0 against the defending champion and second seed.
The volatile Italian also broke his racket in half by stepping on it midway through the second set.
The latest incident follows Fognini’s record $27,500 fine at Wimbledon for telling tournament official Wayne McEwen that he would “smash my racquet in your head” during his heated five-set win against American Alex Kuznetsov.
He was docked $20,000 for the offense of damaging the grass court with his racquet and fined an added $7,500 for abusing McEwen and making an obscene gesture at Kuznetsov.
The Wimbledon fine took his career fine total to a reported $54,100 at Grand Slams.

Match fixing

In Melbourne, one man has been charged and five others arrested in an Australian police operation against an international tennis match-fixing syndicate.
Police from Victoria state said in a statement Friday that detectives from the Purana organized crime taskforce arrested the men following an investigation into allegations that bets were placed on tennis matches played in both Australia and overseas “where the outcome was predetermined by at least one of the players involved.” A police spokesman said the allegations do not relate to matches on the ATP World Tour or at the Australian Open.
Australia’s Fairfax Media reported later Friday that tennis players were understood to be among those taken into custody. The arrested men are all aged in their 20s, except for one aged 40.
A 27-year-old Melbourne man was charged with using corrupt-conduct information for betting purposes and drug offenses. He was bailed to appear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Sept. 25.
Police said the arrested men will be questioned about possible offenses under Australia’s Crimes Amendment (Integrity In Sports) ACT. Under those laws, passed last year, courts can impose a sentence of up to 10-years jail for match-fixing.