Ernests Gulbis Says He Blew $557K In French Open Winnings At Casino

Latvian tennis player Ernests Gulbis reached his first-ever Grand Slam semifinal at the French Open last week, so you can forgive him if he wanted to do a little celebrating afterward.

If what Gulbis says is true, however, he might regret his choice of celebration.

The 25-year-old received $557,000 in prize money after losing to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals last Friday and returned to his native Latvia to blow off some steam. Apparently it did not go well.

“After losing to Djokovic, I returned to Latvia with my cousin and I went to the Casino,” Gulbis told Gazzetta dello Sport, via Business Insider. “I bet all prize money won in Paris and I lost it.”

That’s right: Gulbis won more than $500,000 for his best career finish and supposedly blew all of it in one night.

Gulbis said in a more recent interview that he gambled away a “percentage” of his winnings, so who knows how much the tennis star really lost. Still, placing your hard-earned cash on a game of blackjack doesn’t seem like the best investment strategy. May we suggest a low-risk mutual fund instead?

Photo via Twitter/@bbctennis