WATCH: Unusual scenes at Sofia open as Fabio Fognini requests chair umpire to give him a code violation
Fabio Fognini is known to be an animated player who has had his fair share of heated outbursts on the court. The Italian once again displayed his theatrics by doing something hardly anyone has ever done on a tennis court.
Fabio Fognini was up against Aleksandar Vukic in the first round of the Sofia Open and was serving at 5-5 in the first set. He served a double-fault and smashed the ball into the crowd.
Fognini was heard saying "sorry" before asking chair umpire Aurelie Tourte to give him a code violation for ball abuse, which she did. A video of the incident was shared on Twitter and the Italian can be heard saying: "Give me, give me" to Aurelie Tourte before serving.
After receiving the code violation, Fognini received faint applause from the crowd for his gesture.
Now I have seen it all!
Fognini after abusing the ball requests chair umpire Aurelie Tourte to give him a code violation: "Give me. [Pause] Give me." https://t.co/wXA9bptDhZ
Fabio Fognini loses in 1R of Sofia Open to Aleksandar Vukic
Fabio Fognini suffered defeat in his opening match at the Sofia Open as Aleksandra Vukic defeated him 7-6(11), 7-5 in an hour and 53 minutes.
The Italian had five set points in the opening set but could not make the most out of them. He also made the first break in the second but Vukic broke him back and did so again in the final game to win the match and seal his place in the last 16.
The Aussie will face Fernando Verdasco in the second round and the winner will take on either top seed Jannik Sinner or Nuno Borges in the quarterfinals.
Fognini is still competing in the doubles tournament at the Sofia Open, teaming up with long-time partner Simone Bolelli. The Italian pair beat Marc Huesler and Bernabe Zapata Miralles in the first round and will face Alexander Donski and Alexander Lazarov in the quarterfinals.
Fognini has won only 17 out of 37 singles matches so far this season, with his best performance being the semifinals of the Rio Open and the Serbia Open.
Before the Sofia Open, the Italian competed at the US Open and reached the second round after beating Aslan Karatsev. He next faced Rafael Nadal and won the first set against the Spaniard. However, the 'King of Clay' bounced back and won 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1.
Fognini is currently ranked 57th in the world and will look to return to the top 50 of the ATP rankings in the remaining months of the season.