Fabio Fognini (ATP 28) strikes back: According to the “Corriere della Sera”, the 33-year-old is considering a lawsuit against the ATP for damage to his reputation. What happened? After the Italian loses the first set against Bernabé Zapata (ATP 133) 6-0 at the tournament in Barcelona, Fognini is suddenly dismissed by the referee in the second set. He is said to have insulted a linesman.
Fognini denies this: “I did not offend the linesman. I was angry, frustrated, and talked to myself. I swear that on my children. ” He goes on to say about the Italian “Corriere della Sera”: “What happened made me look very bad with my sponsors. If my appeal against the sanction is rejected, I will call my lawyers and demand compensation because the disqualification severely damaged my image. “
sponsor ist mad
It’s not the first time Fognini has been involved in a scandal. The Italian hotspur’s fuses have blown several times: in 2017, for example, at the US Open, he called a referee a “slut” and “ugly squirrel”, in 2019 he spits in the direction of a linesman in Shanghai, and in the same year he can be heard at Wimbledon say he wants a bomb to go off in Center Court.
Sponsor Babolat, whose rackets the Ligurian regularly turns into kindling, has enough. In a press release, the French tennis manufacturer wrote: “We are concerned about the outbursts of anger from Benoit Paire and Fabio Fognini and have informed them that we do not approve of their behavior.” (Tim)