Nadal handed time violation before match!
Umpire Bernardes has a history with Spaniard
>> LONDON: Rafael Nadal has become used to getting sanctioned for slow play, but on Thursday at Wimbledon he was warned for wasting time before a ball had even been hit in anger.
The world No.1 was preparing for his Wimbledon second round match against Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin on Centre Court.
However, veteran umpire Carlos Bernardes issued a warning to the 17-time Grand Slam title winner who was still sitting on his courtside chair.
“I didn’t know but I don’t see a clock here. I don’t see that countdown. It’s more difficult for me to understand what’s going on,” said the 32-year-old Nadal after his 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 win.
“In Australia and Roland Garros, we have the clock so that we can manage to be under control.”
Nadal was warned again by Bernardes before the start of the third set.
“That’s normal. I was slow at that moment. I know I had to take the wristband, T-shirt, banana out, change everything,” explained Nadal.
“Probably I should go to toilet. If I go to the toilet, I had plenty of time to change everything without the time violation. I decided to stay on the chair.
“I was slow enough to receive a time violation. Yeah, I accepted. That’s all. I think I was very quick during the match.
“Between sets I needed that time to change all these stuff because was a very humid day, that’s all.”
Thursday’s incidents are not the first time that Nadal and Bernardes have clashed.
In 2015, Nadal asked for Bernardes not to officiate at his matches after an incident in Rio de Janeiro over the Spaniard’s shorts.
Nadal had arrived on court with his shorts on back to front but he was told to change them on court.
Despite that bizarre argument, Nadal insists he does not have a personal issue with the veteran umpire.
“For me personally that was disrespectful,” he said.
“I put my shorts on the other way. You cannot force me to change my shorts in front of everybody, you know. For me, that’s not respectful.
“I respect when I am slow, I accept the warnings. I do my best to be quick.
“Sometimes I not good enough to be that quick. I need my time to think about what to do for the next point, that’s all.”
Meanwhile, Nick Kyrgios fired a warning to Nadal after continuing to lead a strong Australian challenge at Wimbledon on Thursday.
The 23-year-old maverick kept himself under control during an impressive straight sets defeat of Dutchman Robin Haase and is a potential semi-final foe for Nadal.
But it is another young Australian, 19-year-old Alex De Minaur, who Kyrgios is predicting could cause Nadal problems.
De Minaur plays the Spaniard in the third round after beating Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
“It’s awesome. He’s going to be a guy that’s going to love playing on grass for his whole career,” Kyrgios told reporters. “These type of balls, nightmare, so flat. He’s a great returner. I honestly think he can cause some damage the next round. I don’t think Rafa is going to be liking the ball that’s going to come at him constantly for three hours.
“It’s going to be a tough ask for him, but I think he could definitely cause a little bit of discomfort.”
With 30-year-old Matthew Ebden also into the third round in the bottom half there is plenty for Australian fans to cheer, although the focus is very much on Kyrgios, who himself stunned Nadal at Wimbledon four years ago.