US Open top seed Rafael Nadal has questioned the timing of Fabio Fognini’s suspension from the final grand slam tournament of the season.
On Saturday the Grand Slam Board removed the Italian from competition for unsportsmanlike conduct, fining him a total of $24,000. Fognini was heard in Italian saying a series of fouled-mouth insults to Swedish umpire Louise Engzell on Wednesday. He now faces the prospect of further punishment if the board concludes he has committed a ‘major offence.’ This includes a fine of up to $250,000 and a potential ban from future grand slam tournaments.
In the wake of the controversy, Nadal has criticised the time it has taken to suspend Fognini. The decision of the board occurred four days after the controversial match. Meaning that he was able to play two doubles matches at Flushing Meadows during that period.
“Of course (it) is not a positive thing (what Fognini did),” Nadal said after his third round win over Leonardo Mayer.
”Of course if you are not doing the right things on the court, of course you need to be in some way affected.
”But at the same time it’s true that things can be made (to) happen earlier because I believe that he played two matches after that match, two doubles matches.
“If they want to suspend him, (it would) be much better to do it immediately, not three days later or four days later.”
During Nadal’s press conference, one journalist said that the delay could have been because the officials needed to translate what Fognini said. Although, Nadal swiftly dismissed that as an acceptable excuse.
“It takes four days for that translation? I don’t think so. It’s easy to find.” He said.
Apology issued
On August 31st, the day after the incident, Fognini posted a statement in Italian on his social media account apologising for his behaviour. In it, he apologised to both Engzell and his fans.
“I apologize to the fans, to the referee for what happened,” he wrote in Italian on Twitter.
“It was just a very bad day, but it did not forgive my behaviour in the match. Although I’m a hot-head (and though I’ve been right in most circumstances) I was wrong. But in the end it’s only a tennis match.”
It is not the first time the Italian has been penalised for his behaviour. In 2014 he was fined $27,500 at Wimbledon for two incidents of unsportsmanlike conduct and ‘a visible obscenity.’
The suspension has occurred a month after Fognini won his first title of the season at the Umag Open in Croatia.
