American tennis player Reilly Opelka was slugged with one of the most petty fines you’ll ever see, following his win in the Dallas Open.
The 24-year-old defeated Jenson Brooksby 7-6 7-6 in the final to claim his third career singles title, but it wasn’t all good news.
Opelka made the cardinal sin of leaving his hat on during the trophy ceremony – and this morning posted a photo of a fine handed down by the ATP.
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https://twitter.com/ReillyOpelka/status/1493962428622815235
The ATP’s rulebook says that “no hat or headband, with or without logos, may be worn during the awards ceremony”.
The amount he was fined was undisclosed, but it was enough to earn not just his bemusement, but that of the majority of tennis fans.
He later doubled down, taking a swipe at ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi.
https://twitter.com/ReillyOpelka/status/1493969432816889864
It was Opelka’s first outing since being knocked out of the Australian Open in the third round by Canadian Denis Shapovalov.
Curiously, three of his four matches in Dallas all ended with the exact same 7-6 7-6 scoreline – including an epic tiebreaker against John Isner in the semi-finals which ended 24-22.
He saved 10 set points in that second, before going on to the final, and the trophy.
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