Wimbledon ace Fabio Fognini faces ban from tennis after attending Man City final

Wimbledon star Fabio Fognini is reportedly facing a ban from tennis after missing a doping test to attend the Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan earlier this month. The 36-year-old Italian has competed in Wimbledon on 13 occasions and won the Australian Open men’s doubles alongside Simone Bolelli in 2015 but now finds himself in hot water with the tennis authorities.

Fognini is a loyal Inter fan and flew to Istanbul to watch his beloved team lose 1-0 to the Citizens at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium. According to Sportmediaset, doping officials then arrived at the player’s house to find he wasn’t there.

And Fognini is now at risk of a ban from the sport as it was the second time he had missed a test.

The veteran has been on the ATP Tour since 2004 and is currently ranked at No 122 in the world. Earlier this month, he reached the third round of the French Open before being defeated by Sebastian Ofner following a five-set thriller.

He also reached the second round of the doubles alongside Bolelli at Roland Garros but has since been out of action after sustaining an abdominal injury during his run in Paris.

Fognini will still be hoping he is able to take to the grass courts at Wimbledon, where he has never gone beyond the third round. But his freedom to compete on the Tour is now hanging in the balance.

Fognini, who climbed to No 9 in the world rankings in 2019, was dispatched by Dutch ace Tallon Griekspoor in the first round of last year’s Wimbledon and has previously struggled for form on grass.

His best singles performance in a Grand Slam came way back in 2011 when he reached the quarter-finals of the French Open before pulling out ahead of a showdown with Novak Djokovic. And he will now be desperately hoping his doping absence doesn’t throw his career off course.

Fognini’s trip to Turkey proved to be a disappointing one in more ways than one as Inter were second best throughout their encounter with City. The Italian team put up a brave fight against the Premier League champions and frustrated their opponents for large spells of the match.

But Pep Guardiola’s side finally made their breakthrough midway through the second half as midfielder Rodri lashed a thumping effort into the back of the net.

Inter pressed forward in search of an equaliser late on and went close on a number of occasions. But City held on to secure a famous Treble after the English side had already got their hands on the Premier League and FA Cup trophies – and now Fognini faces a double dose of disappointment after his trip to Turkey.