Eyeing his third slam of the year, Rafael Nadal, moved an inch closer to the title by outplaying Lorenzo Sonego in the third round of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. Showing signs of his vintage form, the Spaniard took 2 hours and 4 minutes to outplay the Italian in straight sets.

The World No. 4 impressed the tennis world with his dominant game from the start of the match. However, things took a serious turn when Nadal called Sonego to the net to have a chat during the third set. While the reason for the banter remains unknown, speculations are being raised that the Spaniard had problems with Sonego’s extended grunting. While the 27-year-old Italian seemed disturbed by the banter, Nadal made sure to clear the air after the match.

Rafael Nadal apologizes to Lorenzo Sonego

Dominating the game from the start, Nadal seemed in a comfortable position as he took the first two sets with complete ease. However, things took a turn in the third set. Trailing 2-4 in the third set, Lorenzo convinced the chair umpire to get the roof closed. An act which seemingly didn’t go well with the Spaniard. Following the closing of the roof, extended grunts of Sonego while hitting the ball also seemed to be a disturbing factor for Nadal.

‘There’s Some Codes Between Players’- Rafael Nadal Says He Had a Long Discussion With Lorenzo Sonego After Bizarre Handshake at the Net at Wimbledon

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At 4-4 in the third set, a seemingly irritated Nadal walked up towards the net, exchanging words with Sonego. A similar incident took place during the customary handshake post the match. While Nadal initially found it correct to have words with Sonego, he realized his error in judgement after the match.

Conversing with the presenter during the on-court interview, Nadal was questioned about the ‘spicy’ incident that took place during the third set. Learning about the question, an apologetic Nadal replied, “Sorry, not spicy at all. From the bottom of my heart, I didn’t make it in a negative way. I feel very sorry if I bothered him. I just wanted to tell him something. But I did it a nice way. Now I feel really bad if I bothered him. I feel very sorry for that. I was talking to him and I will talk to him right now. But I think it is not a problem at all.” 

Following the on-court interview, Nadal also shared his views about the incident during his post-match press conference. While the 22-time Grand Slam champion opted to keep the incident behind closed doors, he admitted that his act towards Sonego was wrong.

Nadal eyeing his third major of the year

Being out of the tour for 4 months, Nadal made a strong comeback to the tour. At the start of the year, Nadal exceeded expectations by winning the 2022 Australian Open. Carrying his form forward, he showed his class by securing the 2022 French Open title. Winning two back-to-back majors, the former World No. 1 is now eyeing his third major of the year at the Wimbledon Championships 2022.

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Coming back from a foot treatment, Nadal kicked off his Wimbledon campaign with a first-round win over Francisco Cerundolo. Looking in good shape, he further outplayed Ričardas Berankis in the second round. Now, after his victory over Lorenzo Sonego in the third, he is set to face 21st seed Botic van de Zandschulp in the fourth round.