'I have decided to appeal, I did nothing wrong,' said Fabio Fognini

Competing against Bernabe Zapata Miralles in the Barcelona Open second round on Wednesday, Fabio Fognini got defaulted for the first time in a career after almost 700 ATP matches.

Apparently, Fabio insulted the linesman in the second set's eighth game and left the court after arguing with the supervisor. The Italian kept saying that he didn't say a word to the linesman, speaking bad words to himself and no one else. Fognini reached the quarter-final in Monte Carlo last week, playing way below that level in Barcelona against the rival from outside the top-100 to experience a bagel in the opener!

Feeling frustrated, the Italian questioned the linesman's calls, but he insisted that he said nothing. Fabio will appeal the decision, eager to prove his innocence and make clear what happened.

"Hello everyone. I wanted to inform you about the Barcelona Open disqualification at 4-4 in the second set against Zapata Miralles. On the court, I could not do anything other than accept the decision taken by the tournament supervisor. But I want closure that what decision is incorrect and penalty, the supervisor's report is incomplete and does not correspond to reality and, for this reason, I have decided to appeal," Fabio Fognini said.