A shocking confrontation erupted at the Stuttgart Open when Italian tennis player Fabio Fognini branded his French opponent Corentin Moutet a "little pig" following their heated first-round match on Tuesday.
The 38-year-old veteran held onto Moutet's hand longer than customary during their post-match handshake, maintaining an intense glare at his rival.
"Regarde-moi, petit cochon!" Fognini said in French, which translates to "Look at me, you little pig!"
The insult came after Fognini lost the fiery encounter 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 to the 26-year-old Frenchman, who secured a second-round meeting with top seed Alexander Zverev
Fabio Fognini continued to confront Corentin Moutet after the loss, but his opponent simply ignored him
|X @tennislegende
The match on Stuttgart's grass courts saw emotions reach boiling point when Fognini snapped his racket over his knee and threw it away in frustration.
After more than two hours of play, Moutet sealed victory when Fognini's backhand went wide, prompting the Frenchman to point to his head, fist-pump and launch a ball into the stands.
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Fabio Fognini and Corentin Moutet had the tense interaction at the net following the conclusion of the match
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During their tense exchange at the net, Fognini was heard saying "look at me" to Moutet in French whilst blocking his opponent's path back to his chair.
Moutet chose not to escalate the confrontation, instead moving past Fognini to shake hands with the chair umpire before acknowledging the crowd's applause.
This was not the first time Moutet has been involved in on-court drama this season.
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In March at the Arizona Tennis Classic in Phoenix, tensions escalated dramatically with Alexander Bublik.
The Kazakhstani star challenged Moutet to a physical confrontation, saying: "Do you want to fight? Let's go, we'll meet outside in ten minutes. This little Frenchman talks but he doesn't want to fight!"
The incident occurred when Moutet indicated he was not ready for Bublik's serve, prompting Bublik to respond: "I don't care!"
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Poignée de main agréable entre Fabio Fognini et Corentin Moutet au tournoi de Stuttgart.
— Tennis Legend (@TennisLegende) June 10, 2025
🗣️L'Italien, en français : "Regarde-moi ! Petit cochon ! T'es une merde."
Le Français n'a pas réagi et l'a ignoré.pic.twitter.com/fYPdIAnplV
Since then, Moutet has achieved respectable results, reaching the round of 16 at the Italian Open and the second round of the French Open.
On the other hand, 38-year-old Fognini, currently ranked 117th in the world, announced in Rome last month that this will be his final year on tour.
The Italian also has a history of heated exchanges, including with Andy Murray, whom he famously told to "shut up" during a 2019 Shanghai encounter.
Reflecting on career highlights at his home tournament in Rome, Fognini said: "One is for sure the victory in the night against Andy Murray when he was No 1 in the world."
He added: "I play with passion, and sometimes too much."
The wildcard recipient has not won a tour-level match this year.