Italian tennis player Fabio Fognini has apologized for using a homophobic slur during an Olympic tennis match. However, not everyone is convinced of the reasoning.
Fognini repeatedly used an anti-gay slur during his match against Russian player Daniil Medvedev on Wednesday. It was quickly picked up by social media who weren't thrilled with its usage.
Fognini released a message on his Instagram giving his explanation.
Fabio Fognini, who used homophobic slurs during his loss at the #Olympics, blamed it on the heat in this Instagram story post.pic.twitter.com/rKn1SrS7cy— Ben Rothenberg (@Ben Rothenberg) 1627511344
On a rainbow background, Fognini explained:
"The heat went to my head! In today's match I used a really stupid expression towards myself."
"Obviously I didn't want to offend anyone's sensibilities. I love the LGBT community and I apologize for the nonsense that came out of me."
It was very hot and humid on the court that day, with Medvedev nearly fainting during the match and using two medical timeouts. He even took a shower between sets.
However, he didn't scream any bigoted slurs.
So why did Fognini?
italy having a heated gaming momenthttps://twitter.com/nypostsports/status/1420718023296569345\u00a0\u2026— jenny tightpants (@jenny tightpants) 1627619940
.@fabiofogna I'm still waiting for your opponent to apologize for his hateful slurs since he was playing in the same heat you were....wait....he didn't say any? That's odd. \n\nDon't use the heat...own your bigotry.— ChocoChip (@ChocoChip) 1627593219
Oh yeah the heat makes me homophobic too. https://twitter.com/nypost/status/1420717828110524426\u00a0\u2026— @FlippinFantastic on gab (@@FlippinFantastic on gab) 1627561319
Language matters. \n\nMaking excuses doesn't address why a homophobic slur was in Fabio Fognini's vocabulary, which demeans LGBTQ+ athletes.\n\nApologies are one thing. \n\nBut without meaningful actions to support the LGBTQ+ community going forward, they are hollow.\n\n#Tokyo2020https://twitter.com/BenRothenberg/status/1420511651103711233\u00a0\u2026— Lukas Weese (@Lukas Weese) 1627512631
Can we just move on from this jerk? He\u2019s repeatedly showed us exactly the kind of person he is.— Kim Barney (@Kim Barney) 1627577337
Fognini is currently ranked 31st in the world and has a reputation for being hot-headed. He was thrown out of a US tournament for repeatedly insulting the umpire.
During his Olympic match with Medvedev, Fognini kept slamming his racket on the ground. He threw it in the trash after losing.
While it's might be expected he get angry, it's less expected one would jump to using a homophobic slur in the heat of the moment if you aren't using it as a regular part of your vocabulary.
Just as with substance abuse and mental illness, heat nor competition add bigoted slurs or behavior to people. They can only lower inhibitions.
Blaming the heat for use of a homophobic slur was a new excuse for many people.
So now we\u2019re blaming the weather\u2026 great.https://twitter.com/outmagazine/status/1420772628789436416\u00a0\u2026— Manuel (@Manuel) 1627594360
Climate change strikes again— Salty Dill Weed (@Salty Dill Weed) 1627560757
Fabio Fognini when it\u2019s warmer than 80 degrees outside:pic.twitter.com/X3F5MiW0sr— Ugly In Costa Rica \ud83d\udc85\ud83c\udfff (@Ugly In Costa Rica \ud83d\udc85\ud83c\udfff) 1627515091
This is a new one...\n...The heat is making me racist...\n#Olympicshttps://twitter.com/nypost/status/1420717828110524426\u00a0\u2026— Billie (@Billie) 1627561150
feel bad for the onion writers at this point manhttps://twitter.com/nypostsports/status/1420718023296569345\u00a0\u2026— vladamir gluten (@vladamir gluten) 1627611446
After the complaints and medical issues with playing in the heat, the International Tennis Federation agreed to have future matches later in the day.
This will hopefully allow them to avoid the extreme heat.
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The Washington Post