‘Hothead’ Fognini announces retirement from tennis

LONDON (AFP): Fabio Fognini announced his retirement from tennis at Wimbledon on Wednesday as one of the sport’s most colourful characters called time on his volatile career.

Fognini had revealed ahead of the Rome Masters in May that he planned to retire in the next 12 months.

The 38-year-old Italian has brought forward that decision, with his last match ending in a five-set loss against defending Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz in the first round at the All England Club last week.

“Today is something official. I say goodbye to everybody,” Fognini told reporters.

Fognini’s career-high in the ATP rankings was ninth place in 2019, while he won nine ATP Tour titles, including his only Masters 1000 triumph in Monte Carlo in 2019.

He enjoyed a memorable five-set comeback win against Rafael Nadal at the US Open in 2015 and beat then world number one Andy Murray in Rome in 2017.

Fognini was renowned for his unpredictable behaviour on court, willingly describing himself as a hothead.

He was fined at Wimbledon in 2019 for saying during a match that he wished “a bomb would explode at the club”.

That outburst came after he was suspended from the 2017 US Open for insulting a female chair umpire.

In 2014, Fognini was fined $27,500 for unsportsmanlike conduct at Wimbledon.

Now ranked 138th, Fognini, whose best Grand Slam run was a quarter-final appearance at the 2011 French Open, said his battle with injuries had taken a toll.

“The last three years of my career I was suffering a lot with injuries,” he said.

“After that match (against Alcaraz), I don’t want to come back on some stage where I don’t want to be. After this tournament, I will drop in the rankings.

“I will still love this sport. I have a lot of memories in my head. I played against Roger (Federer), Rafa, against Nole (Novak Djokovic). Winning a Slam for me was impossible.

“I told my wife (former female star Flavia Pennetta) two days ago that this was my decision. I’m happy the way I said goodbye to the professional tennis career. I did my best. I’m leaving today.”