Italian tennis player Fabio Fognini has been fined of $4500 after saying Wimbledon should be bombed.
The volatile Italian ace made the outburst in his native tongue during his third-round loss.
Unhappy at having been scheduled on the small Court 14, Fognini said "Damn English. I wish a bomb would explode on this club. A bomb should explode here."
Fabio Fognini has been fined his entire match fee. Photo: Photosport
He later apologised, saying: "If somebody feels offended, I say sorry. No problem."
Fognini was under the threat of a suspension covering two grand slam tournaments if he committed another major offence after being heavily sanctioned at the US Open two years ago for misogynistic and abusive remarks towards a female umpire.
Wimbledon chief executive Richard Lewis had played down the incident saying "it's in the heat of the moment. It's an unfortunate comment but we readily accept the apology."
The fine Fognini has been given is at the more lenient end of the punishments scale, meaning there is no danger of him having to serve a ban.
More than 1000 bombs fell in the area during World War II, destroying thousands of nearby homes, and 16 fell on the tournament grounds.
One hit Centre Court.
Meanwhile, Serena Williams has handed a fine of $US15,000 for damaging one of the match courts with her racket during a practice session ahead of the tournament.
Nick Kyrgios was handed two fines, one for $4,500 from the first round and another for $7,500 from the second round - both for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Meanwhile Bernard Tomic has taken legal advice as he appeals his record-setting fine.
Bernard Tomic Photo: Photosport
Tomic was docked $90 thousand- his entire first-round prize money - for allegedly not giving his best efforts during a lame 6-2 6-1 6-4 loss to Jo- Wilfried Tsonga.
Tsonga and world No.1 Novak Djokovic, along with Tomic's fellow Australians Nick Kyrgios and John Millman and former US Open women's champion Sloane Stephens, have all questioned the fairness of the heavy-handed sanctioning.
Now Tomic will challenge it, claiming he was sick before taking the court for the 58-minute cameo, the shortest men's singles match at the All England Club in 15 years.
-Reuters
