“I’m going to ask that you never referee me again”, these were the words of Rafael Nadal to a referee who had the misfortune to warn him at Roland Garros.
At the 2022 Australian Open, Rafael Nadal repeatedly claimed that no player is bigger or more important than the tournament, but the Mallorcan has already shown that he may see himself as very important at least at Roland Garros.
The recent incident with Denis Shapovalov reminded us of an episode that took place at Roland Garros 2015, when a referee dared to warn the King of Clay for taking too long to serve, according to the rules.
Rafa then had 9 Roland-Garros titles to his name and had then felt that the referee was disrespectful to him by warning him for his slowness. The Spanish champion therefore settled his accounts first on the court, thus showing and inevitably that he was not “just anyone”.
“Is it better to break racquets or take five or six extra seconds? Is it a better example for children? I don’t think so. I’m going to ask that you never referee me again,” threatened Rafa talking to the chair umpire.
In a press conference, the Spaniard explained himself further: “I have a lot of respect for him and I think he is a very good referee, but I think that when you have a problem with someone, the best , is to stay away from him for a while, right? It’s better for us that we avoid each other for now”, He then carried out his threat on the court by making a request to the ATP leaders, aiming to have the referee punished.
He could not stop the referee from practicing, but at least managed to keep him out of all his matches for a while. It turns out that the referee of the match between Rafael Nadal and Fabio Fognini at Roland Garros 2015 – match lost by the Spaniard – was none other than Carlos Bernardes, the same person who refereed the quarter-final match between Shapovalov and Nadal at the Australian Open 2022.
It is therefore an incredible coincidence that tells us that the referee knows the Spaniard’s slowness problems quite well, and that he certainly did not want to participate in a new drama, like at Roland Garros 2015.
“Denis wrongly, I don’t think I’m getting special treatment,” Rafa replied to Shapovalov, who accused him of breaking his rhythm and being favored on the court.
Novak Djokovic did not appreciate Rafa’s behavior
Following the drama between Nadal and referee Bernardes in 2015 at Roland Garros, Novak Djokovic was questioned to give his opinion on the matter.
“I don’t think it’s fair play. The referees are human, they also make mistakes. There are maybe times when they are less confident. And they also have a lot of pressure on them, for example to enforce the time limit before serving,” replied the Serb at a press conference.
