Updated July 07, 2019 12:32:48

Already on grand slam probation, top-10 player Fabio Fognini could be in more trouble after saying during his third-round match at Wimbledon on Saturday that he wanted a bomb to hit the All England Club.

During a three-set loss to Tennys Sandgren at tiny Court 14, the 10th-ranked Fognini referred in Italian to the "damned English" and said he wished "a bomb would explode at the club".

At his post-match news conference, Fognini said his comments came in the heat of the moment. He said he was upset about not playing well and the condition of the court's grass.

"If I offended anyone, I apologise," Fognini said in Italian. "That definitely wasn't my intention."

The volatile Fognini, who is married to 2015 US Open champion Flavia Pennetta, also bloodied knuckles on his right hand after punching his racket during the match against Sandgren.

Photo: If Fognini is found guilty of a major offence he will face a major suspension. (AP: Alastair Grant)

An All England Club spokeswoman said there was no immediate comment from tournament officials.

But the episode will be investigated to determine whether it rises to the level of a major offence, because he is still under a two-year probation stemming from when he insulted a female chair umpire at the 2017 US Open and got kicked out of that tournament.

In October 2017, the Grand Slam Board said Fognini would be suspended for two major tournaments if he commits another major offence before the end of this year.

He was docked a then-record $40,000 of his prize money at Wimbledon in 2014 for a series of outbursts during a first-round victory.

AP

Topics: tennis, sport, england, united-kingdom

First posted July 07, 2019 11:54:13