‘Wish a bomb would explode on this club’: Italian tennis player Fabio Fognini in astonishing on-court rant against Wimbledon after being made to play third-round match on Court 14
- Fabio Fognini was caught by courtside microphone making rant on Saturday
- 32-year-old said he ‘wished a bomb would explode on Wimbledon’ in Italian
- The 12th seed lost in straight sets to his American opponent Tennys Sandgren
- Fognini was kicked out of 2017 US Open for calling female umpire a ‘whore’
Wimbledon was stunned on Saturday when world No 10 Fabio Fognini said ‘I wish a bomb would explode on this club’ in an extraordinary on-court outburst.
No 12 seed Fognini was beaten in straight sets by American Tennys Sandgren and was unhappy with tournament organisers placing the third-round clash on Court 14.
Midway through the second set, a courtside microphone caught the 32-year-old saying in his native Italian: ‘It’s fair to play here? Damn English, really. Damned, really. I wish a bomb would explode on this club. A bomb should explode here.’
Italian tennis player Fabio Fognini said he ‘wished a bomb would explode on Wimbledon’ in an extraordinary on-court rant during his loss to Tennys Sandgren on Saturday
Fognini’s rant occurred in the second set of his defeat to Tennys Sandgren on Saturday
Italian was caught by a microphone understood to be ranting about playing out on Court 14
Fognini (not pictured) ranted as the chair umpire tried to resolve an issue between points
Fognini (not pictured) made the astonishing outburst before losing in straight sets
Fognini was quizzed on the comments after his 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 loss. ‘The court was not really good,’ said the Italian, who is due £111,000 for reaching the third round at SW19. ‘You play sport? Most of the time when you’re on court, you’re frustrated.
‘For sure I was not happy about my performance because I was knowing I have a lot to win in this case, because I think I have a good chance to win.’
Asked if he wanted to apologise for saying a bomb should explode at the All England Club, he said: ‘I say sorry. If somebody feels offended, I say sorry. No problem.’
Fognini, who also had to take a medical timeout after punching his racket to the ground and leaving his knuckles bloodied, is likely to face repercussions.
The Italian is already serving a two-year suspended sentence for shouting obscenities at a female umpire at the US Open in 2017.
He reportedly called Swedish official Louise Engzell, again in Italian, ‘troia’, which translates as ‘whore’.
Fognini, who is married to former US Open winner Flavia Pennetta, received fines totalling more than £70,000 for that.
His suspended ban can be triggered by another major offence.
Asked if he feared his comments on Court 14 on Saturday would constitute one, he looked away and said: ‘Next question.’
Fognini did have the largest fine in Wimbledon history — until it was broken by Bernard Tomic and his £45,000 punishment this week.
In 2014, Fognini was fined £11,600 for unsportsmanlike conduct after angrily throwing his racket to the turf, and a further £7,500 for shouting at the umpire.
Fognini, the 12th seed in the men’s draw, apparently wasn’t happy to be on an outside court
The 32-year-old player dives in vain to return the ball during his straight-sets loss to Sandgren
Sandgren in action during the match with Fognini, played in the shadow of the main courts
The court, adjacent to Centre Court, can only accommodate a few hundred spectators
Fognini gets treatment for his damaged knuckles after smashing his racquet to the ground
