Umpire Carlos Bernardes has acknowledged that he and Rafael Nadal have experienced tense moments on the court, but he emphasized that those incidents are now behind them. The tension between the two dates back to the 2015 Rio Open, where Nadal was penalized with multiple violations during a match officiated by Bernardes. Following that match, rumors circulated that Nadal had requested the ATP to exclude Bernardes from officiating his matches, a claim the former 22-time Grand Slam champion later confirmed.
“Yes, it was my request,” Nadal stated at the time, explaining that while he respected Bernardes as a person, he felt it was best to avoid having the same umpire for a while after their disagreements. “I consider him a great umpire and a good person, but I think when you have some troubles with the same umpire, sometimes it’s easy to stay away for a while, no?” he remarked.
Last week, Bernardes concluded his remarkable 40-year career as a tennis official at the Davis Cup Finals. While in Spain, he was asked to reflect on his relationship with Nadal, especially given the history of their arguments.
“We have that image because of the arguments, but we always treated each other very well. He was always very respectful towards me, and this is something I will never forget,” Bernardes told AS. He expressed sadness over Nadal’s retirement, stating, “I wanted to be there to see him. I didn’t even think about refereeing him; I just wanted to see him because of the great work he has done for other players. He was very important for tennis.”
Given Nadal’s reputation as one of the sport’s kindest players, it is not surprising that he resolved any lingering issues with Bernardes before hanging up his racquet for good.
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