Apology may not save Fabio

A POST-MATCH apology is unlikely to save Italian firebrand Fabio Fognini from potentially the largest fine in grand-slam history — almost $360,000 — after saying he wished “a bomb would explode on this club” during Wimbledon defeat.

Beaten 6-3, 7-6 (14-12), 6-3 in the third round by controversial American Tennys Sandgren, Fognini (pictured left) lost his composure mid-match.

He now faces the prospect of being suspended from next month’s US Open and January’s Australian Open.

Apparently unhappy at being assigned to Court 14, one of the tournament’s smaller arenas, the Monte Carlo champion said: “Is it fair to play here?

“Damn English, really. Damned, really. Wish a bomb would explode on this club. “A bomb should explode here.” Fognini apologised post-match. “I say sorry. If somebody feel offensive, I say sorry. No problem,” he said.

“Yeah, the court was not really good.”

Grand-slam officials are certain to hit the fiery baseliner hard, given Bernard Tomic was fined $20,000 two years ago for saying he felt bored at Wimbledon.

Fognini’s disciplinary history is far worse than Tomic’s and his bomb references will rankle an organisation which takes extreme security measures to ensure player and spectator safety.

Fognini is currently operating under a suspended ban after being hit with a $357,000 fine for calling Swedish chair umpire Louise Engzell a whore at the 2017 US Open.

Fognini was put on probation for two years with an assurance the fine would be halved if he didn’t misbehave at the majors through 2018-2019.

The grand-slam board warned Fognini the original penalties would be reinstated, along with additional punishments, if he committed a “major offence” during the period.

Part of the original penalty is a two-slam ban.

Fognini was fined almost $40,000 at the All England Club in 2014 for a string of obscene outbursts.