3 times Rafael Nadal was penalized by chair umpire Carlos Bernardes

Rafael Nadal is widely regarded as one of the most respected and dignified tennis players on the ATP tour. There are very few moments in which the Spaniard loses his cool or behaves in an unruly manner.

Chair umpire Carlos Bernardes, on the other hand, has been involved in many controversies. In the fourth-round match between Nick Kyrgios and Jannik Sinner at the 2022 Miami Masters, Bernardes awarded a game penalty to the Australian after he angrily smashed his racquet on the ground.

The two were involved in a heated verbal argument as well, with the 26-year-old continuing his attack on the Brazilian in his press conference and social media later on.

Don’t get it twisted. I got mad respect for @janniksin ⚡️⚡️ he is one of my favourite players and he was TOO GOOD. I am aiming all of this at an umpire who clearly ISNT GOOD ENOUGH to be doing these matches. Nothing but a slap on the wrist for him right? What a joke.

Interestingly, Carlos Bernardes and Rafael Nadal have also been involved in feuds over the years, with the Spaniard ending up being penalized for one reason or the other. Without further ado, here is a look at three such instances:

#1 Rafael Nadal vs Tomas Berdych (2010 ATP Finals)

Carlos Bernardes and Rafael Nadal were involved in an altercation at the 2010 ATP Tour Finals

During his match against Tomas Berdych in the group stage of the 2010 ATP Finals, the 21-time Grand Slam champion was involved in an altercation with Carlos Bernardes over a line call.

Serving to stay in the set at 5-6 15-15, the Mallorcan and Berdych were involved in a long rally at the end of which the Czech hit the ball deep near the baseline. Bernardes called the ball "out," following which the Spaniard stopped playing.

However, a challenge by Berdych revealed that the ball just grazed the baseline. Instead of having the pair replay the point, the Brazilian awarded it to the former World No. 4.

Rafael Nadal did not take kindly to the decision and walked over to have an argument with the umpire. The Spaniard angrily protested that he only stopped playing because of the line call, and even then he managed to put the ball back in play.

"That's nonsense. You said out. My ball was in. I've returned it back. What match are you watching, Carlos? No, no, no. I don't want to play," he lamented.

Although Nadal extended the argument to another official attending the match, Bernardes stuck to his guns. Thankfully, it did not prove disastrous for the Mallorcan. Nadal held his serve, took the set in a tie-break and then won the second set in dominant fashion to subdue the Czech's challenge.

#2 Rafael Nadal vs Mikhail Kukushkin (2018 Wimbledon)

Against Mikhail Kukushkin, the Spaniard was awarded a time violation even before the match began

The World No. 3 defeated Mikhail Kukushkin in straight sets in the second round of the 2018 Wimbledon Championships, but was hit with a time violation by chair umpire Carlos Bernardes even before the match began.

✅ 79 titles
✅ Four on grass
✅ Two in SW19
👏 35 matches this season, 33 wins!

🎾 Nadal beats Kukushkin 6-4, 6-3, 6-4

👑 Is 2018 the year he recaptures the #Wimbledon crown? https://t.co/Xzmy7ke6Sn

Bernardes noted that Rafael Nadal took too long to finish his warm-up and begin the first game of the contest. Between the second and third sets, he was awarded the same violation. Interestingly, the former World No. 1 agreed with the assessment afterward and conceded that he was not quick enough.

"Yeah, I was slow enough to receive a time violation. Yeah, I accepted. That's all. I think I was very quick during the match. Between sets I needed that time to change all these stuff because was a very humid day, that's all," he said. "He could avoid, but he decided to make it, and I accept because, yeah, I was slow."

#3 Rafael Nadal vs Fabio Fognini (2015 Rio Open)

The biggest controversy with Rafael Nadal and Carlos Bernardes came at the 2015 Rio Open

The biggest controversy involving the two came at the 2015 Rio Open, when the Brazilian awarded Nadal a time penalty during his semi-final loss against Fabio Fognini. The Mallorcan had mistakenly worn his shorts back to front and requested Bernardes to allow him to change his clothes off the court.

Surprisingly, the chair umpire declined and asked the 21-time Grand Slam champion to do it on the court itself. This infuriated the Mallorcan, who thought it was disrespectful of the umpire to say that and engaged in a verbal altercation with him.

The former World No. 1 angrily declared that he would be taking up a complaint with the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), demanding that Bernardes never officiate one of his matches again.

"Let me tell you something, seriously. I'm going to ask not to be umpired by you again, I can't cope with you," he said to Bernardes. "You're the umpire who pulls me up most and puts the most pressure on me on the whole tour. I have nothing against you, but I've had enough."

Also Check Out: Miami Open 2022 Results