Fabio Fognini and Corentin Moutet's match couldn't go without any drama as the Italian was heard calling the Frenchman "a little pig" moments after their Stuttgart match ended.
In the first round pf the ATP 250 tournament in Stuttgart, Fognini – now ranked at No. 117 in the world – fought back to force a decider before ultimately picking up a 4-6 7-6 (3) 3-6 defeat to the world No. 91.
As they were shaking hands at the net, the nine-time ATP champion wanted to something to Moutet. "Look at me, look at me!" the 38-year-old was saying in French but his Stuttgart opponent wasn't responding. That's when the Italian got extremely annoyed and dropped: "Look at me little pig! You're a piece of s—."
« Regarde-moi ! »
Poignée de main TENDUE entre Fabio Fognini et Corentin Moutet. 😬🇫🇷🇮🇹pic.twitter.com/4NEib8tltQ
— Univers Tennis 🎾 (@UniversTennis) June 10, 2025
Fognini has always been known for his temperament and Moutet pretty much has the same reputation. While it's unclear what exactly prompted the Italian veteran to react that way, it is not surprising that their match featured a tense moment.
Alexander Bublik wanted to fight Moutet in March
After edging out the Frenchman in a tight three-set Phoenix Challenger quarterfinal battle in mid-March, Bublik wasn't happy at all with his rival. They had a tense moment at the net before another footage revealed that the Kazakh wanted to even meet the Frenchman outside and fight him.
“You want to fight? The French kid is speaking… He doesn’t want to fight. Let’s go. We meet in 10 minutes outside," Bublik was picked up on the microphone saying after the Phoenix match.
Meanwhile, when it comes to Moutet's Stuttgart campaign, he plays home favorite Alexander Zverev in the last-16 stage.
