In his post-match press conference in Paris on Tuesday, Rafael Nadal was asked about his run in with ATP chair umpire Carlos Bernardes during Nadal’s match against Fabio Fognini in Rio de Janeiro. Nadal admits he had requested for Bernardes not to be assigned to any more of his matches, but concedes it would only be temporary.

In the press conference following his first round match at the French Open, the Spanish number one admitted he did indeed request not to have Bernardes umpire him in matches any longer, after telling Bernardes during the semifinal “I will make sure that you don’t arbitrate me anymore” following a series of time violations. It transpired that during that match at the Rio Open, Nadal was wearing his shorts backwards and so asked Bernardes if it was possible for him to go to the locker room and change. The umpire told him he would receive a time violation warning, something Nadal deemed “not fair”. Following his words today, Nadal “consider(s) him a great umpire and a good person” but alluded “is better for both of us if we are not in court at the same time for a while”.

ATP spokesman Simon Higson said that these types of requests either from the player or the umpire are not uncommon. Nadal is a player known for taking his time after points especially when serving. He goes to the towel after a point, touches his pants, nose, hair, and all that in his routine all while bouncing the ball before he readys to serve. The ATP rulebook states that each players gets 25 seconds after each point in ATP events. However during Grand Slams, that rule is cut down to 20 seconds. When Nadal has received time violations in the past, they are often handed to him an inopportune times. They are handed to him when he is serving down in a final set or down in a game. If the umpires are to hand down penalties like this, they should be consistent and do it from the start. 

Novak Djokovic was later asked if he had ever made similar requests, but it became apparent he hadn’t and didn’t agree with Nadal’s tactic. “I remember umpires I wasn’t happy with but I never thought of requesting them to change. It’s not fair for them.” Djokovic remarked in his own press conference on Tuesday.

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About the author
Noel John Alberto
Filipino-American sports journalist from Toms River, NJ. UMBC Graduate and aspiring physical therapist. Tennis editor and multi-sport coordinator for VAVEL USA. Writer for Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Serie A sections of VAVEL UK. Sports aficionado. Host of the On The Line tennis podcast.