US tennis player Christian Harrison has been fined US$3,000 by the ATP after refusing to take part in a mandatory on-court interview at the Delray Beach Open in Florida as it required him to wear a mask.
Harrison, ranked 789th in the world, on Saturday stunned top seed Cristian Garin of Chile 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 for his first victory against a top 50 player.
He decided not to wear a mask following his win and declined to be interviewed on court.
Photo: AFP
The 26-year-old spoke out against wearing masks on social media last week saying: “Healthy enough to play 3 hour matches, but I’m an absolute safety hazard walking maskless through a restaurant.”
“Christian Harrison was fined US$3,000 for declining the mandatory post-match on-court interview following his second round win over Cristian Garin on Saturday,” the ATP said in a statement.
Harrison on Monday reached his maiden ATP semi-final by defeating Gianluca Mager 7-6 (7/2), 6-4.
He wore a mask for the subsequent on-court interview and later said on Instagram that he was not aware it was mandatory to wear one for TV interviews.
He added that the ATP supervisor had told him that the fine would be rescinded if he appealed and promised to follow tournament rules even if he did not agree with them.
“It’s not healthy to wear a mask in the hot sun for more time than absolutely necessary after a tough match. I was given the impression it was optional. I wasn’t told I would be fined,” he said in the post.
Meanwhile, Sebastian Korda on Monday kept his nerve to topple second-seeded John Isner 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 and reach the semi-finals.
Britain’s Cameron ousted 2018 champion Frances Tiafoe 6-0, 3-6, 6-4, while Poland’s Hurkacz advanced with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Ecuador’s Roberto Quiroz.
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