Rafael Nadal, 4th in the world, quietly qualified for the round of 16 of Wimbledon on Saturday by dismissing the Italian Lorenzo Sonego (54th) 6-1, 6-2, 6-4
Rafael Nadal apologized to Italian Lorenzo Sonego, whom he beat in the third round at Wimbledon on Saturday, for a tense verbal exchange at the end of the match. The incident occurred in the third and final set, the only one in which the Spaniard conceded his faceoff. A break without consequence since the winner of the 2008 and 2010 Wimbledon editions won 6-1 6-2, 6-4.
Nadal, who seemed upset at the noise his opponent was making, brought him to the net for an explanation. The two men also had a long exchange when shaking hands after match point. “I have to say I was wrong. I shouldn’t have called him to the net. So apologies for that. My fault. No problem, I admit it”said the world No.4 after the match. “It’s something I talked about with him in the locker room and it will stay there.” Nadal, however, revealed a bit more about what happened on the court: “My intention was not at all to annoy him. Just tell him one thing that bothered me about what he was doing at the time. That’s all. We had a little problem, but that’s all.
The Spaniard, who won the first two Grand Slams this season, his 21st and 22nd success in a Major, will face for a place in the quarter-finals the Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp, whom he beat in three sets the last month on the way to his 14th title at Roland-Garros.