Fabio Fognini could miss Wimbledon after bizarre doping test mix-up

There are doubts over whether or not Fabio Fognini will play at Wimbledon this year, but his possible absence has nothing to do with watching his beloved Inter Milan in the recent Champions League final.

It was initially reported that the veteran Italian was in trouble with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) after he skipped a drugs test in order to watch Serie A giants Inter take on English Premier League side Manchester City in the Champions League final in Istanbul on June 10.

However, Fognini’s “entourage” has set the record straight and revealed to Sport Mediaset that his trip to Turkey earlier this month – where he watched Inter lose 1-0 – has nothing to do with his latest missed drugs test, which is considered a second blight on his card in the past few months.

Instead, it goes back to a mix-up with WADA and their “blocked portal” at the Italian Open at the beginning of May.

Tennis players have to undergo regular doping tests and they are obliged to inform WADA of their whereabouts so that agents can make arrangements to test them at their homes or an alternative destination.

Fognini was initially due to be in his home town of Arma di Taggia on May 9, but a last-minute change of plans meant he was in Rome for the ATP Masters 1000 tournament and “he had attempted to change his domicile the night before” the drug testers were due to arrive.

The report adds that “the Wada portal was blocked, and although Fognini provided screenshots of what had happened, anti-doping officials went ahead with the procedure, arriving at the notification of a missed check”.

It was the second time that the 36-year-old has missed a drugs test in recent months and it could result in a ban if the mix-up is not resolved with WADA.

Fognini has slipped to No 49 in the ATP Rankings and he hasn’t been in action since losing against Sebastian Ofner in the third round of the French Open.

He has not entered any warm-up events ahead of Wimbledon, although grass has never been his preferred surface as he 22-21 win-loss record. The Italian is yet to make it past the third round of the grass-court Grand Slam and he exited the All England Club tournament in the first round last year.

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