Italian tennis player Fabio Fognini made international headlines two weeks ago when he shouted a homophobic slur over and over again during his Olympic tennis match.
Now, he’s trying to make amends.The 34-year-old repeatedly screamed the word “frocio” (the Italian word for “f*ggot”) at himself as it became clear he was going to lose to his opponent.
When the match was over, he angrily threw his racket into a courtside trash can in a fit of rage.After his antigay outburst went viral around the world, Fognini took to his Instagram stories to blame the heat and humidity for his vile behavior.
Because extreme temperatures, evidently, trigger homophobia.“The heat went to my head,” he posted in Italian against a rainbow background.