France’s Hugo Gaston is yet again in the thick of all actions in the tennis world! The 23-year-old Frenchman seems to be having a unique ability to make the headlines for all the wrong reasons. This time controversies erupted during his second-round (R16) match against Alexander Zverev at the German Open. Although the world number 4 sealed a 4-6,6-2,7-5 victory over Gaston in that match, it was a ‘fraction of a second moment‘ during the final point of the first set that made the fans come out in numbers and slam Gaston for his “poor sportsmanship.”

It started from a backhand smash by Alexander Zverev which Hugo Gaston had to stretch his body to its limits to reach out for the ball. However, by the time he managed to reach the ball, it seemed the ball had bounced twice before touching his racquet. The German tennis star kept on playing until when Gaston finally managed to hit a crosscourt backhand winner. Zverev was left furious with the chair umpire failing to spot the double bounce and this led to a few exchanges between him and Hugo Gaston.

This was the second time in just a few weeks gap when Alexander Zverev found a crucial point going against him in a decider set after a questionable call from the umpire. However, like his previous statements, even this time gave a more mature response after the match. The German said, “It’s a mistake from the umpire but the umpire is also a human being and allowed to make mistakes.” He further went on to put more stress on the importance of having the video review technology in the tournaments. “These kinds of situations can cost a player the match and it cost me the set today, which is very unfortunate,” said Zverev.

Then afterward Hugo Gaston also came up with his version of thoughts. The Frenchman noticed the criticism and backlash he faced after this incident and he took to Instagram to have a say on this issue. He wrote, “Of course, if I felt the ball had bounced twice, I would have admitted it. Sascha and myself know that there was absolutely no problem.” However, these justifications don’t matter to the tennis fans as they’ve come out in numbers on Reddit to highlight his ‘old habits‘.

Alexander Zverev’s opponent faces a major backlash from tennis fans surrounding the recent incident in Hamburg

Hugo Gaston has been found several times showcasing what many believe is unsportsmanlike conduct in his career. Remember an incident from last year when he was banned from the ATP Tour after he retired from a match, just one point away from defeat? It happened when he was taking on Argentina’s Marco Trungelliti in the Verona Challenger. Recalling that incident one of the fans stated, “No one quits I mean….cheats like Gaston“. A lot of the fans reminded the tennis world of his history of having a “very poor record on sportsmanship.”

Elaborating more on that incident against Tungelliti, the Frenchman won the first set 6-3, and then the Argentine came back in the second by 6-2. When things looked all poised for Marco Trungelliti and he had a lead of 5-2 over the Frenchman in the third, Gaston decided to retire. He walked towards the net and shook hands with his opponent. This led to a lot of question marks over his actions. “This Gaston guy is an absolute prick. He cheated before and keeps cheating. Nothing to be surprised about here, let’s move on,” said the other fans.

This incident came to the headlines and the Australian tennis player, Ellen Perez even went on to claim there must have been gambling issues behind his retirement. “Some companies give money back if matches end in retirement. It’s the only logical answer because this is just ridiculous.” Just like this incident against Alexander Zverev everyone in the tennis world was digested by that incident too! A fan wrote, “It’s Gaston. He always cheats.”

A similar unsportsmanlike behavior was seen involving the same player in Madrid in 2023. Hugo Gaston was spotted deliberately dropping a ball out of his pocket when his opponent had a smash, hoping that a let would be played. He was initially handed a fine of 144,000 Euros but later on after his appeal, it was reduced to 72,00 Euros subject to certain conditions. Highlighting the same a fan wrote, “Yeah he is 100% a sore loser. I seem to remember he has taken the ball out of his pocket more than once in his career to try to force a let.”

Alexander Zverev has often found himself on the wrong side of the calls. As a result, there are several such incidents featuring the German losing his cool and arguing with the umpires and fellow tennis players. From banging his racquet on the ground to abusing the chair umpires, the tennis world has seen it all featuring the German star. However, this is one of those rarest of all the rare moments when fans finally got to say, “Gaston is probably the only player on tour who can make Zverev look like the good guy.” Share your thoughts on Hugo Gaston’s unique ability to stay in the limelight in a negative way.