French Open star risked tennis ban to attend Champions League final
Professional tennis stars have attended the last two Champions League finals.
Any tennis stars heading to Wembley for the Champions League final on Saturday night may be advised to think twice after Fabio Fognini nearly received a ban after attending last year. The 37-year-old Inter Milan fan was in Istanbul to watch his side take on Manchester City, a clash the Premier League side won 1-0 thanks to Rodri’s goal.
The Italian, who on Thursday was knocked out of the French Open by Taylor Paul, insisted on flying out to Istanbul, despite the date falling just two weeks ahead of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.
But he reportedly failed to inform the relevant doping authorities of his change of schedule, and was absent when the testers turned up at his home.
Related articles
It led to doubts over his participation at SW19, amid fears he would be banned for the grass court tournament. By that point, the All England Lawn Tennis Club had already caused controversy by reversing a previous ban on Russian and Belarusian players over the ongoing war in Ukraine.
However, Fognini's team later clarified that the player’s missed test wasn’t due to his unscheduled trip to Turkey. Instead, it related to the Italian Open the previous month, where an error with the WADA ‘portal’ had allegedly caused a misunderstanding.
As it turned out, Fognini wasn’t sanctioned by the tennis authorities, although still did not appear at Wimbledon. He has traditionally struggled at the British Grand Slam, only passing the first round once in 2014.
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
It remains to be seen if he turns out at the iconic event this time around. Fognini’s best effort at a Slam came back in 2011, when he reached the quarter-finals before he withdrew from his clash with Novak Djokovic due to a leg injury.
And he’s never made any secret of his love for the 2023/24 Serie A champions Inter, telling reporters: "I grew up watching the likes of Ronaldo and Christian Vieri but my idol was Ivan Zamorano. I always like Marco Materazzi too due to his determination.
"As a fan of Inter, I rejoice and I get angry. When you care about one thing those are the reactions, but being a sportsman I also understand what’s behind it and the variables that can lead to one result over another."
However, Fognini is not the only tennis star to have rocked up in a Champions League final in the last two years. In 2022, Rafael Nadal watched his beloved Real Madrid beat Liverpool 1-0.
Though the game came midway through the French Open, it was held in the same city of Paris so Nadal was able to attend. And the celebrations didn’t affect the focus of the Spaniard, who returned to Roland Garros and won the tournament, beating Casper Ruud in the final.
