De Minaur faces the most annoying bloke on tour

Alex de Minaur will have more than just a game of tennis to worry when he faces the most annoying bloke on tour.

Fabio Fognini complains to the umpire while playing countryman Salvatore Caruso during their second-round match at the Australian Open Picture: AFP

Alex de Minaur now faces the most annoying, arrogant, niggling, underhanded and argumentative bloke on tour. If Joe Pesci’s Tommy DeVito from Goodfellas was a tennis player, he’d be Fabio Fognini. You think I’m funny? Funny how? Funny like a clown? Do I amuse you?

If Robert de Niro’s Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver was a tennis player, he’d be Fognini. You talkin’ to me? You talkin’ to me? Who the hell else are you talkin’ to? You get the drift. Capeesh?

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Fognini is a 33-year-old Italian with a Machiavellian beard who has a snarl or a smirk depending on his mood. He gets up an opponent’s nose in order to do likewise on a scoreboard. De Minaur’s gotta avoid eye contact like there’s a fellow at the pub you just know is spoiling for a fight.

Tunnel vision will get De Minaur through. The tennis, tennis and nothing but the tennis. If Fognini sucks de Minaur into the sort of by-play that has driven Andy Murray bat crazy in the past, there goes the neighbourhood.

Fognini beat countryman Salvatore Caruso in a fifth-set tiebreaker on Thursday night. They had a heated exchange at the net before Caruso headed for the tunnel. He turned on his heels because Fognini was still barking at him.

Lots of theatrical finger-wagging and the risk of push-and-shove until an official stood between them. Caruso took a suitably extravagant bow upon departure before the heated conversation was translated to English after Fognini’s 4-6 6-2 2-6 6-3 7-6 (14-12) win.

Fognini: “You have been f … ing lucky.”

Caruso: “What are you talking about?”

Fognini: “Can’t I say you have been lucky?”

Caruso: “I didn’t dare to say a single word in the whole match.”

Fognini: “I said something because you called for it.”

Caruso: “I didn’t dare to say a single word in the whole match. Enough now.”

Fognini: “Can’t I say you have been lucky? What’s the problem?”

Caruso: “You can do whatever you want.”

Fognini: “So why are you breaking my balls now? I said you have been lucky. If I’m wrong saying it, I’m wrong. Don’t attack me.”

Caruso: “I didn’t attack you. I’m telling you it’s not the way to behave because I didn’t tell you a single world. Let’s say I didn’t expect that from you.”

Fognini: “What did you expect? I told you have been lucky. You didn’t like it. What should I say?”

Caruso: “It’s not the way to do it.”

Fognini: “Why? What’s the problem?”

Later, Fognini said: “Italian, English, it’s not important. We’re good friends and what happens on court, stays on court. I am really happy, of course, because I think I was not playing my best tennis, so I had more chances than him in the fifth set, but that’s the sport. I was lucky, too. It’s not important what you asked me before because these kind of things happen sometimes on court.”

Salvatore Caruso, right, and Fabio Fognini argue after their match Picture: AFP

They happen more than sometimes with Fognini. Asked about his villainous reputation on tour, he replied: “Do you understand my words or not. I just told you … Can you please change questions? Next question. Thank you.”

Fognini’s defiance starts with his walk. The most aggravating walk you will ever see. It’s a slow walk, a cocksure walk, a you-can all get stuffed walk.

Thank heavens for the shot clock. That quickens him up a tad. He’s previously been so slow that even Rafael Nadal has looked at him like, vamos, can you hurry it up a bit? He plays like the whole thing is a drag. Like a tennis match is beneath him.

He sucks opponents into a slovenly, snail-paced routine, but then pounces when it suits him. His matches can be bludgers of a thing – but he can play among the nonsense.

The high-point of his career has been winning the Monte Carlo Masters, beating Nadal on clay and achieving a career-best ranking of seven.

The low-point has been his suspension after calling US Open umpire Louise Engzell a “whore” and a “c***sucker.” No crowds at Melbourne Park will help De Minaur: Fognini likes to feed off the volatile atmosphere he has incited.

He exasperated Murray while beating him at the 2019 Shanghai Masters. Fognini yelled at Murray when the Scot was about to hit a volley. Murray was furious, shouting at Fognini, “You do the same thing in every match!” He sat in his courtside seat. Then got back up to further engage with Fognini directly under umpire Fergus Murphy’s chair.

Murphy: “Andy, it’s better if you just …”

Murray: “Fergus, listen. Just listen.”

Murphy: “I am listening. I know exactly what’s going on.”

Murray: “I had a volley on top of the net. He shouts.”

Fognini: “You’re always complaining.”

Murray: “Shut up!”

Murphy: “Andy, don’t do this.”

Murray: “I had a volley onto of the net, he shouts and then tells me, ‘Don’t look at me.’ I’m like, you just shouted in the middle of a point.”

Murphy: “You’re telling me stuff that I already know.”

De Minaur already knows, too. He capeesh’s. He will be intent on doing his own thing. Head down. Bum up. Ears blocked.

He does that anyway. He said he was aware of an “altercation” between Fognini and Caruso. Asked if he’d ever been in fisticuffs on a tennis court, he replied: “No, I wouldn’t say so. I would say my temperament on the court is a bit more calm and chill. I like to stay to myself a bit and try to focus on my side of the court.”