Wimbledon 2019: Fabio Fognini in hot water after saying he wanted 'a bomb to explode' at All England Club

During a straight sets defeat to Tennys Sandgren, the 10th-ranked Fognini referred in Italian to the 'damned English' and said he wished 'a bomb would explode at the club'

Fabio Fognini could be in hot water after saying he wanted a bomb to hit Wimbledon during his third-round match on Saturday.

The 10th-ranked Italian referred to the "damned English" and said he wished "a bomb would explode at the club" during a straight sets defeat to American Tennys Sandgren.

More than 1,000 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.

Fognini said afterwards that his comments came in the heat of the moment and that he was upset about not playing well and the condition of the grass on Court 14.

"If I offended anyone, I apologise," Fognini said. "That definitely wasn't my intention."

The volatile Fognini, who is married to 2015 U.S. Open champion Flavia Pennetta, also bloodied knuckles on his right hand after punching his racket during the match against Sandgren.

An All England Club spokeswoman said there was no immediate comment from tournament officials.

But the episode will be investigated to determine whether it rises to the level of a major offence, because he is still under a two-year probation after he insulted a female chair umpire at the 2017 US Open and got kicked out of that tournament.

In October 2017, the Grand Slam Board said Fognini would be suspended for two major tournaments if he commits another major offence before the end of this year.

He was docked a then-record $27,500 of his prize money at Wimbledon back in 2014 for a series of outbursts during a first-round victory.

Additional reporting by AP