Fognini faces Grand Slam ban after obscene Wimbledon 'bomb' comments

Updated 06/07/2019 at 17:30 GMT

Fabio Fognini could be banned from the next two Grand Slams after being caught saying that he wanted a bomb to explode on Wimbledon.

Fabio Fognini in campo al terzo turno di Wimbledon 2019 contro Sandgren

Image credit: Getty Images

Fognini lost in straight sets to Tennys Sandgren in his third-round clash and on-court microphones picked up a rant during the second set.

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He said: "Damn, English, really. Damned really.

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"Wish a bomb would explode on this club. A bomb should explode here."

It is not the first time that Fognini has courted controversy at a Grand Slam. In 2017, he was kicked out of the US Open after reportedly calling a female umpire a "w****" and a "c***-s***er" in Italian.

He was also fined over $70,000 and handed a suspended ban from two Grand Slams, valid until 2020.

Fognini was quick to apologise over the incident during the match against Sandgren.

"Most of the time when you're on court, you're frustrated. For sure I was not happy about my performance today because I was knowing I have a lot to win in this case, because I think I have a good chance to win," he said.

"Something happened on court. If somebody feels offended, I say sorry. No problem."

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