Italy’s Fabio Fognini was true to form on Wednesday; throwing away a match, karate kicking a racquet and quite frankly taking another monumental dump on tennis fans.
Fog is a common metaphor in literature for a character having lost their way and it is with the clearing of the fog that they have transformed and ‘seen the light’. Ebenezer Scrooge, the protagonist of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol is an excellent example of this. The fog that shrouds Scrooge and clouds his judgment dissipates by the end, revealing a man reborn and ready to rejoin society. It’s tempting to suggest that Fognini, or for our purposes, The Fog, is currently clouded in a fog so thick that unless the metaphorical ghosts of past, present and future, pay him a much needed visit, he will be lost to us forever.
There is little point in outlining all of The Fog’s misdemeanors, as even with the never-ending space the Internet affords modern writers, we would waste far too many pixels. Needless to say, he regularly breaks racquets, he threatens umpires and throws matches as evidenced in Hamburg on Wednesday when he lost 6-4 6-0 to 149th ranked Filip Krajinovic. Oh, and he was the defending champion, to throw in for good measure.
Tennis twitter lit up with the frustration of long time tennis fans who have had more than enough of the Italian’s antics. There were plenty of calls for him to be fined and plenty of suggestions that the ATP needs to quickly act to stamp out this sort of behaviour. These calls are not necessarily unreasonable, in that tennis fans should demand the highest standards from those they either pay to see or invest their time in watching via TV or the Internet.
For others the solution to The Fog problem lies in that his behaviour only punishes himself, therefore making an intervention from the ATP unnecessary. Sticking with the theme of A Christmas Carol, these were the sentiments echoed by Scrooge’s nephew when reflecting that his uncle only harms himself.
The Fog is most likely on his way out of the ATP Top 20 as we speak. His poor behaviour must also frighten off many sponsors, thus hurting his hip pocket through loss of income. Either way, the solution to The Fog comes from within.
It is unlikely there will be sanctions or swift action from the ATP. The mechanisms of public self-destruction are slow. When you’re throwing away your career, you don’t want to do it too quickly. Fining players for the sort of disrespectful behaviour Fognini regularly shows can be somewhat fraught with danger.
Could The Fog just have been having a bad day?
Is the problem here a playing out of immature, spoilt behavioural patterns or does it underline a more serious issue with the player’s state of mind?
If it is the latter, then what is needed is counseling, not fines.
For the record, I do not think The Fog is suffering from mental health issues. Rather, his poor behaviour is becoming habitual and because it is unchallenged, he perpetuates it until it becomes a part of his on court persona. There is nothing wrong with a bit of personality; it goes a long way. But tanking, being abusive and showing nothing but utter contempt for the sport that gives you a lifestyle many can only dream of, has little to do with personality and providing entertainment for the patrons who essentially pay your wage. No to mention the contempt shown to his opponents.
Any professional athlete wants to win a match on its merits. There is much to be learnt from taking a big win over a player ranked many points ahead of you but what can Krajinovic take from being handed a win from an opponent who stopped trying? Perhaps I was wrong when I suggested that the only one hurt by this behaviour is The Fog and only The Fog?
Everytime The Fog enters the court, the dark, ominous clouds of contempt descend. It’s time to see that fog disappear and to see the reemergence of the man named Fabio Fognini. Fabio Fognini is quickly becoming a laughing stock among tennis fans, if he is not already one.
Fog rarely clears quickly and it rarely disappears in front of our eyes. As frustrating as it may be to watch on the sidelines, the only person who can clear The Fog of his demons is himself.
Let’s hope it doesn’t require four ghostly visitations.
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