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Loco Fabio Wished Bomb Exploded At Wimbledon
91 Comments · Posted by Scoop Malinowski in Bios
Fabio Fognini’s loose cannon behavior reached a new degree of craziness today at Wimbledon.
The hot headed Italian, ranked 10 in the world, thought he had a favorable third round match up today vs. American Tennys Sandgren, a player he won both of their previous ATP meetings with last year on red clay.
But those two wins were very narrow on his best surface and today Sandgren outplayed him on the Wimbledon grass 63 76 63.
Fognini could not contain his frustration at the unexpected turn of events and unleashed a shocking verbal tirade in Italian that was understood by courtside observers. Down two sets, Fognini kicked a ball with his feet before scooping it up with his Babolat racquet and then said perhaps the worst thing any player ever said on a professional tennis court. ‘It’s fair to play here? Damn English, really. Damned, really. Wish a bomb would explode on this club. a bomb should explode here.’
Fognini was displeased about having to play on outer court 14 which he felt the conditions were subpar and contributed to his losing performance.
After the match, when posed with questions about his tirade, Fognini apologized but offered little explanation. The 2019 Monte Carlo champion could face a severe punishment, fine or even ban because he’s already on a two year probation for an incident at 2017 US Open where he called a female official a whore and a ****sucker.
Sandgren advances to his first round of 16 at Wimbledon where he will play compatriot Sam Querrey for a slot in the quarterfinal.
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1 2 Next »George · July 6, 2019 at 11:03 pm
“If, if, if… doesn’t exist” Quote of the year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puPyZa883Ck
Dan Markowitz · July 7, 2019 at 7:56 am
Usually, I’m ok with Fognini’s tirades because they seem almost playful in some odd way, but to talk about bombing a club, particularly in London with its long history of terrorist acts, Fabio should be suspended for a year. Granted, losing to Sandgren must’ve thrown Fabio for a flip as Tennys had lost in the first round of the last nine tournaments he’d played in before The Big W.
Hartt · July 7, 2019 at 8:01 am
Fognini needs to be careful. After his disgusting remarks about a female ump at the 2017 USO, he is under a suspended 2 year sentence which would come into effect if he has another “major offense.”
Scoop Malinowski · July 7, 2019 at 8:31 am
To his credit, Fognini went for a bathroom break and stopped and mingled and chatted apparently with fans, creating an even longer delay. Sandgren has his number, he barely lost very close matches to Fog last year 46 67 and 46 in third on clay and losing 1r 9x in a row is just a bad slump which like Spadea, he got out of by being inspired by Wimbledon.
Scoop Malinowski · July 7, 2019 at 8:39 am
Fognini is also on the Laver Cup roster and that payday could be in jeopardy too if he is suspended. With this latest verbal explosion, Fognini has outdone himself and any pro who ever snapped on the court. Wishing a bomb to blow up Wimbledon and kill dozens of innocent tennis fans is about as insane as he can get, he can’t possibly go any lower than this can he? This might even be worse than Serena threatening murder of a lineswoman or threatening violence on a chair umpire.
Scoop Malinowski · July 7, 2019 at 8:41 am
Remember, Sandgren won Auckland in January, his first title. So he was playing his career best tennis this year then he hit a slump, now he’s one match from his career best result in a major. He will gain a lot of points as he lost 1r last year at Wimbledon to Djokovic.
catherine · July 7, 2019 at 8:42 am
I’m fed up with players moaning about court scheduling. They seem to have no idea how complicated a job it is to fit the men’s and women’s draws into a finite number of courts and at the same time please everyone’s egos. In this case Fog’s not known for his grass expertise anyway and didn’t he think the conditions were the same for Sandgren ?
A couple of days ago we heard Azarenka moaning that Fed/Nadal/Djoko monopolised the show courts and the women were shoved aside. Same every year. Common sense should tell her that safety comes first and star players who attract big crowds have to play on the show courts. If this occasionally seems unfair then it’s tough – and good players win wherever they are.
Scoop Malinowski · July 7, 2019 at 9:39 am
Who really wants to see Azarenka play anyway? Send her out to court 14 too. The players complaining about court scheduling illustrate how pandered and spoiled the players are. “To suffer without complaining, that is the only lesson to learn in this world.” – Vincent Van Gogh First it as the season is too long, now it’s don’t put me on the outer courts.
Harold · July 7, 2019 at 10:40 am
Wimby would have had to put all Jay Clarke, or any other Brit matches, on Center, or Court 1. The thing lower ranked players should be bitching about is, either get Hawk Eye on every court of every tournament, or get rid of it. Top players haven’t played without it since it appeared, while some get on big courts and it’s the first time they’ve used it
Jeff · July 7, 2019 at 12:08 pm
No question that Fognini should be suspended. Not sure it was right to complain about the English too. I think they need to suspend him for real tour events since a Laver Cup suspension looks like a slap on the wrist.
Did anyone catch what Sloane had to say about her loss? Didn’t see much coverage on it.
catherine · July 7, 2019 at 12:29 pm
Jeff – I couldn’t find any coverage of Sloane’s PC. Sometimes they don’t bother with losers (not even Kerber). Not sure what Sloane could really say about that match. She just folded in the 3rd set. You wonder about her fitness. She seems slightly overweight to me.
Hartt · July 8, 2019 at 8:02 am
Alison Riske beat Ash Barty in 3 sets. She played well and Ash wan’t at her absolute best. So Alison, who is getting married soon, had an early wedding present. But likely she will face Serena next.
Alison said her fiance was taking responsibility for the wedding so she could focus on her tennis right now. She said that was good for her tennis, but maybe not for the wedding. 🙂
Scoop Malinowski · July 8, 2019 at 8:35 am
Riske is shocking the world, just a journeywoman making huge results. Zhang also undefeated this year after 0-5 career at wimby prior to 19.
catherine · July 8, 2019 at 8:39 am
This is one of the worst women’s Wimbledons. Barty going out is just terrible. Grass is her surface. Yastremska also lost. Nextgen girls flopping again.
Seriously, let’s hope Gauff beats Simona – might wake some of the others up. Serena will most likely win the whole thing.
Now I’m going shopping.
Scoop Malinowski · July 8, 2019 at 9:47 am
I think Coco can win the whole thing. She is embracing it all and not bothered by the pressure, it’s just like a destiny ride for her. She knows she belongs there and she believed she can beat anyone now. She has not played one dumb point that I have seen and she has not shown one hint of nerves or choking.
Scoop Malinowski · July 8, 2019 at 12:05 pm
Gauff seemed to hit a wall at 3-3 in the first. Understandably so, she’s human. Sandgren had a great run, could have beat Q Ball but the veteran eked it out. Nadal as expected, rolled. Muchova is a big surprise but everything seems perfect for Serena. Zhang is also a nice surprise.
catherine · July 8, 2019 at 12:20 pm
Well – there’ll be a riot in GB when Konta beats Kvitova.
Before W’don Simona said she wanted to win here and I couldn’t see it, but she’s getting nearer.
Scoop – it’s realistic, what happened to Gauff. Halep is experienced, focussed and has the shots. I think a Gauff win would have been premature. Expectations can stifle a young player.
catherine · July 8, 2019 at 1:10 pm
Konta squeaks through v Petra who did her best but seemed a little tired. Gets Strykova next.
Gauff could sharpen up her handshake skills – never too soon to start. She didn’t look too gracious. There was a challenge on MP but Simona knew it was out and didn’t wait.
Dan Markowitz · July 8, 2019 at 2:46 pm
YOu’re getting a little carried away here. This is actually one of the first Big W women’s tournaments i’ve ever thought was interesting. YOU’ve got Serena playing well again. The Gauff story was huge, much bigger than even the Bouchard impact a few years ago. Then you’ve got Riske who’s playing out her Cinderella story and is about to become Vijay Armitraj’s daughter-in-law. Then you’ve got this Chinese player who’s becoming the first woman Asian player to make noise at Wimbledon since La NI. So the women have in a way gotten more attention than the men.
Jeff · July 8, 2019 at 2:48 pm
As I watch the 5th set of this Raonic-Pella match, it is interesting to note that Pella’s gf, Stephanie Demner, used to date Delpo. They allegedly broke up because DelPo cheated on her.
Watching her in this match I can only wonder what DelPo was thinking!
catherine · July 8, 2019 at 3:21 pm
Dan – I think the way it’s worked out on the court is a bit flat. Gauff was going to lose and that balloon was going to be pricked. A few of the younger women failed to perform, which is important for the future. Barty looked mediocre. I’m not very interested in Riske’s marriage plans and in fact I didn’t even know about them.
There haven’t been any rivetting matches so far – but I think you could say that about the men as well. To me, it’s not been a vintage Wimbledon but if Serena wins it’ll be remembered.
I’ve seen a lot of W’dons and this one doesn’t rank high – not yet anyway.
Harold · July 8, 2019 at 3:38 pm
You went shopping, but got home in time for the handshake? Clutch😊
Scoop Malinowski · July 8, 2019 at 6:26 pm
Catherine, Gauff has everything to compete with and beat the best right now, just needs more tmie on the big stage and in the big show. Could win a major before age 17.
Scoop Malinowski · July 8, 2019 at 6:28 pm
I like the Gauff handshake it was competitive and it said, you got me this time but next time watch out. She is a fighter.
Jeff · July 9, 2019 at 12:48 am
I am definitely shocked that Pella has had this run on the grass after I bet against him against Taylor Fritz just a few weeks ago.
He has an abdominal problem and the bookies have favored Bautista Agut heavily but I think I got action on that match before the news got out. I just hope Pella takes the court and doesn’t default so my bet is voided.
catherine · July 9, 2019 at 1:23 am
Scoop – ok but there are other women in the draw and I’d like to see them step up. And I do think the amount of publicity Gauff, and her family, are getting is ridiculous. The handshake moment told me that Cori expected to win and didn’t. She was unprepared for that. A period out of the spotlight will help her, the same for Naomi. We’ll find out more in the hard court tournaments.
Paucity of comments here for GS action. Any reason ?
catherine · July 9, 2019 at 4:58 am
Well here’s one – Serena has been fined $10,000 for damaging a practice court with her racquet, before Wimbledon. What did she do – start digging a hole to Australia ? Pocket change for Serena.
Dan Markowitz · July 9, 2019 at 5:23 am
The women had three great matches yesterday in Riske-Barty, the two Checks and Konta-Kvitova. What else could you want. The fun will begin tomorrow when the men square off. So far, there haven’t been any shockers except for Riske and Pella and the X Gen players on the men’s side all gone early.
catherine · July 9, 2019 at 10:12 am
Halep bts Zhang SS and Serena is about to beat Riske in 3. Luckily these two will not meet in the semis.
catherine · July 9, 2019 at 10:19 am
Simona came back from 1-4 down in the first set and zipped through the second 6-1. Serena had a slightly harder time of it but there she is again in the semis at 37.
catherine · July 9, 2019 at 10:28 am
Well – just a matter of time. Muguruza finally calls it a day with Sumyck and is now back in the coaching market. Unfortunately Conchita has moved on. Why not Fisette ? He’s coached almost everyone else and Azarenka’s not going anywhere. I predict other coaching changes after Wimbledon on both sides.
Jeff · July 9, 2019 at 10:50 am
Poor Garbine. She treats her coaches like garbage. If I was Fisette, I would look elsewhere. She should choose someone from her country like a Montolivio or Ruano Pascual.
Harold · July 9, 2019 at 11:20 am
Pam Shriver was always a cold shrill bitch, but what happened to Chrissie? 8 failed marriages?.. Her calling another player “ mechanical” in a negative way, is hysterical. Her dad built a Claybot.. Her phony love of all things Williams, is also funny. Anyone remember the scathing editorial she wrote in Tennis mag., when she was Editor? Nearly got her blown out of tennis, seems like shes on a never ending apology tour
catherine · July 9, 2019 at 11:40 am
Harold – what are you referring to ? Chris certainly didn’t have 8 failed marriages – she had 3 which is not exactly rare these days. Who is she calling ‘mechanical’ ? Gauff ? If so, I can see her point.
Why this animosity about Chris ? I knew her slightly, in a professional way, for most of her career and I could understand some of the stress she went through being so famous so young. She also remained a public friend of Martina’s when that was a not so easy thing to do.
She was a shrewd observer of her fellow players and had a sharp, dry sense of humour. You paint her as some kind of maniacal witch.
(BTW I don’t always agree with her.)
Shriver a ‘cold shrill bitch’ ? You certainly have a way with words.
Scoop Malinowski · July 9, 2019 at 12:46 pm
Hold your horses Harold, you are talking about my first childhood tennis hero! I enjoy her commentary and perspectives and insights very much. Which WTA player is not mechanical besides Barty, Andreescu and Hsieh? And if anyone knows “mechanical” it’s Chris Evert 🙂 As for the Williams sisters, they are protected by the media, no one can dare say one bad word about them otherwise the race card gets flapped in your face. Serena knows it and takes full advantage of this privilege.
catherine · July 9, 2019 at 1:11 pm
Semifinals: Svitolina/Halep/Williams/Strycova. Konta collapsed in 2nd set 1-6.
catherine · July 9, 2019 at 1:41 pm
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/jul/09/serena-williams-naomi-osaka-us-open-final-tennis-umpire
Well, that’s something Serena did right.
Jeffa · July 9, 2019 at 2:04 pm
Choke job by Konta and she is getting hammered by the British press. Boy the Brits are hard on their sports heros.
If women want equal rights, the British press certainly provide that by treating them equally terribly as the men!
Harold · July 9, 2019 at 2:17 pm
We are all adults here:
Shriver has been a b word, bitch or bully since the day she arrived on the Circuit. From Bullying Tracy Austin, to the Maleevas. Sat courtside many times at Armstrong back in her time. The cursing, and venom was out there for all to see.
She rode Martina to the HOF, as a great doubles player..Got to a Slam Semi at 16, never got to a few nap
Christie as a commie is cold, and mean spirited to non Americans. Tennis is an individual sport. Let the fans have their nationality bias, the commentators should be neutral. Tennis, you need to listen to the sound, as opposed to other sports, you need to hear the sound of the ball hbeing hit. The commies are horrible
Scoop Malinowski · July 9, 2019 at 2:29 pm
How dare Serena blame the media for the media pitting her against Osaka. How about an apology to Carlos Ramos?
Scoop Malinowski · July 9, 2019 at 2:35 pm
Harold I think a lot of the top champions have a cruel and mean spirited side. They have to destroy the careers of others. The media does not expose these examples and many times they don’t see the dark side of tennis. I have been told stories, by one former player top ten who loved Djokovic and then she saw him in practice mistreating his team at Miami Open and she now can’t stand him because of just a couple of minutes of very rude behavior to his team. Tennis is so much pressure and stress and tension behind the glamour. I think Hewitt’s punching his imaginary opponent when he’s down is a symbol for how cutthroat tennis actually is. Courier once equated beating an opponent to stepping on his throat. I think most of the best players have a vicious ruthless side. Like one top 200 American said after losing in Sarasota qualies, “This is a vicious sport.” I have also seen and heard of examples of top juniors yelling at their coaches.
Harold · July 9, 2019 at 2:57 pm
My eye test is watching how the players treat the ballkids. There’s Fed who started a craze of people keeping the ball kids on their toes by playfully hitting balls to them.
Then there are the players that won’t move their feet to hel a ballkids, and yell for towels, and make faces, when the kid isn’t getting it fast enough.
You can tell who was a ball kid, and enjoyed the experience..
Madrid is a different story😀😀😀
Scoop Malinowski · July 9, 2019 at 3:10 pm
Djokovic is very good with ball kids most of the time, so is Murray and Nadal. I think Federer is too. Of course, sometimes the players have their bad moments.
catherine · July 9, 2019 at 3:26 pm
Harold – yes, we’re all adults here – but did you know Pam Shriver personally ? Why do you feel you have to call her all those names now ? What’s it matter to anyone ?
Tracy Austin and Shriver never got on. There was a lot of friction between them. Tracy wasn’t blameless. Pam and Martina were a great doubles pair and Pam never rated herself in singles. I too saw her play many times, at the USO and in England. She expressed herself freely – maybe saying things others just thought. Nothing wrong with that.
If you dislike Chris’ commentary so much, just mute the sound. I agree with Scoop – many great champions have a mean side. You can’t be that good and be perfectly normal. Not unless you’re Federer.
catherine · July 9, 2019 at 3:34 pm
Jeff(a) – trashing Brit sports figures when they fail to win things, or fall at the last fence, is a great British pastime and several notable historical events, celebrated in verse, have been defeats.Probably something to do with the weather.
catherine · July 9, 2019 at 3:55 pm
Serena served 19 aces in her match today. Can’t see Strycova holding her up for long. I’d put money on her for the title.
Scoop Malinowski · July 9, 2019 at 7:17 pm
Funny email from a colleague…
Ree Ree plays the “honorary Brit” card with brilliant mixed doubles pairing with Murray.
Murena card play may be her best Grand Slam card in years.
She will have British crowd on her side in grudge match vs. Strycova, who called her out on the US Open BS, and beyond for rest of tournament.
Plus, Ree Ree also releases the formal apology for the US Open blow-out, apologizes to Osaka then plays the sprained ankle card during todays quarterfinal.
Brilliant contrition card play by Ree.
Ree has played all the right cards here on multiple levels: crowd card, ankle sprain card, contrition card, Murray mixed doubs card, honorary Brit card, play dates with her daughter and Murray’s daughter, Duchess Megan attending Ree match card, “I love Cori Gauff” card and “Ash Barty is most well liked player in locker room” card – she even praised British world cup soccer team as an inspiration.
Rena has established ankle card in event she is upset in singles or mixed she already has the excuse in ankle card.
Scoop Malinowski · July 9, 2019 at 7:56 pm
Curious that the tennis establishment was so quick to fine and rebuke Tomic for poor effort but so far nothing on Fognini for wishing for a bomb to blow up Wimbledon.
Jeff · July 10, 2019 at 12:54 am
Scoop,
As far as Tomic, someone should tell Wimbledon that Berretini lost nearly as fast to Federer. His prize money should be taken away too.
I think all the fines should go to none other than ME!
Scoop Malinowski · July 10, 2019 at 7:30 am
Wimbledon should ask Tsonga if he feels Tomic made the effort or not or if he simply was too good. Umpire should be part of the evaluation also.