Hugo Gaston has been heavily criticized for deciding to retire from his ATP Challenger match in Verona in the face of defeat.
French tennis player Gaston was just one point away from losing to Marco Trungelliti at the Internazionali di Tennis Città di Verona tournament when he decided to retire from the match.
Gaston had won the first set, but his Argentinian opponent came back to lead the match 3-6, 6-2, 6-5. He was then ahead of Gaston by 5 games to 2 in the final set, and with three break points, Trungelliti looked ready to finish with a well-deserved victory.
Gaston sparks outrage among fans
It was at this point that the 22-year-old Frenchman signalled his wish to bow out of the match, throwing his arms up in the air before moving over to the net to shake hands with his opponent.
The crowd reaction was the first indication that his retirement would not go down well with fans, as shouts of anger and shock rose up from spectators.
Unsurprisingly, there has been a much bigger reaction on social media, with twitter users calling the act 'unbelievable' and 'shameful'. Some even went as far as to say that Gaston should be removed from the ATP Tour,
"Not his first time with horrible unethical behaviour. Kick him off the tour," wrote one user, whilst another echoed the same sentiment by writing "No respect for this loser. Should be kicked off the tour."
Not his first scandal on the court
This controversy is the second time Gaston has been criticized for his on-court antics. He was fined $144,000 for his actions during a match against
Borna Coric earlier this year when he threw a ball from his pocket onto the court just as Coric was about to hit a smash.
It remains to be seen what actions, if any, the ATP will take against Gaston this time around.