"It’s time to stop writing and reporting everything you want wrong" - Fabio Fognini takes back accusations of Rafael Nadal lying about his injury at Wimbledon
Tennis superstar Rafael Nadal is through to the semifinals of Wimbledon, where he will take on Australia's Nick Kyrgios. However, there was an air of uncertainty surrounding Nadal's performance against Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals as the Spaniard struggled with an abdominal injury.
The legitimacy of the injury has become a talking point thanks to former World No. 9 Fabio Fognini. The Italian earlier took to Instagram on Wednesday to advise fans not to believe everything they read with regards to Nadal's injury. Fognini also highlighted the words "being injured" in his Instagram story.
Fabio Fognini isn’t buying Nadal’s injury. https://t.co/NrvcZACslJ
As expected, Fognini received a lot of flak for his insiniuation. He has now hit back at journalists and the media by saying that he has never wished ill on Nadal. The Italian further said he hopes that Nadal has the ending he wants at Wimbledon this year.
"Dear journalists, I would like to tell you that I have never, ever referred to a champion like Rafa. And I could never afford it. It’s time to stop writing and reporting everything you want wrong. I wish Rafa and his team good luck for this Wimbledon ending," Fognini wrote.
Fabio Fognini: "Dear journalists, I would like to tell you that I have never, ever referred to a champion like Rafa. And I could never afford it. It’s time to stop writing and reporting everything you want wrong. I wish Rafa and his team good luck for this Wimbledon ending"
Nadal has been hampered by injuries all year long. He faced a rib issue at Indian Wells earlier this year, in the semifinals against Carlos Alcaraz. This resulted in the Spaniard missing the start of the claycourt season.
En route to his 14th French Open win, the Spaniard aggravated his long-standing foot injury as he had to take painkillers and injections to play through the pain.
Rafael Nadal's record against Fabio Fognini
Rafael Nadal has an imperious record against almost everyone he's played against and Fabio Fognini is no different. In the 17 matches between the pair, the 22-time Grand Slam champion has been victorious on 13 occasions, with wins coming across clay and hard courts.
However, Fognini is one of the few men to have beaten Nadal on multiple occasions on clay. Of the Italian's four wins against the Spaniard, three of his victories have come on claycourts.
What a match. What a man 🔥
Never give up 💪
@RafaelNadal is in #Wimbledon semi-final https://t.co/pj5R13oShM
Fognini beat Nadal back-to-back on clay in 2015. There was also the incredible comeback he produced against the Spaniard at the US Open in 2015 when he was two sets down.
The duo are far from each other in the ATP rankings at the moment. While Nadal is inching towards the summit as he gears up for the semifinals of Wimbledon, Fognini is ranked 63rd in the world and lost to Tallon Griekspoor in the first round at SW19 this year.