Nadal saw Sonego out in straight sets and was in complete control for most of the third-round match, only to lose his temper when the 27th-ranked player closed the roof of the center court after a lengthy plea.
When the tournament resumed, Nadal – who had not faced a break point until that stage – fell in love in a game in which Sonego had a problem with the sound he made near the ball.
Immediately after the point, Nadal appealed for some kind of discipline from the umpire and took matters into his own hands after the game.
The Spaniard called the surprised Songo and began to warn him, the Italian clearly disappointed and engaged in a long discussion with the umpire.
Nadal then withdrew and quickly won 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 and the pair came back into the net.
4- This is the fourth year in a row Raphael # Nadal The third-round win at Wimbledon (since 2017) did not leave a single set. Toro.ptatptour @ATPMediaInfo # Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/oz1Nu0S7cX
– Optaace (@OptaAce) July 2, 2022
The 22-time leading champion tried to explain his action to the crowd, first Sonego, then the Punch and finally the Center Court.
After his highly respected first response in an on-court interview – acknowledging the “best match” in the championship against the “great player”, “the toughest player I’ve ever faced” – Nadal discusses the struggle.
The flicker was suggested to be “spicy”, but Nadal interrupted: “Sorry, not spicy at all. From the bottom of my heart, I didn’t mean it in a negative way.
“I’m so sorry if I offended her – I want to tell her something. I did it in a good way and I feel very bad now if I offended her. I’m sorry about that.
“Enough. I was talking to him, and now I’m going to talk to him, but it wasn’t a problem, I don’t think so.”