An Olympic tennis player for Italy apologized Thursday after yelling an anti-gay slur at himself after losing a match. Fabio Fognini hurled the insult at himself after losing to Russian player Daniil Medvedev on Wednesday. “Obviously I didn’t want to offend anyone’s feelings,” Fognini said in an Instagram story written in Italian and first reported by ESPN. He blamed the statement on the Tokyo heat affecting his judgment. “I love the LGBT community and I apologize for the nonsense that I let out,” he added. During the match, Fognini repeatedly slammed his racket on the ground in anger, eventually tossing it into a trash bin after he lost.
It is not the first time Fognini has gotten in hot water over profane remarks. He was kicked out of the U.S. Open’s doubles tournament after hurling insults at a chair umpire, eventually being banned from two Grand Slam tournaments.
