Barcelona Open: Infamous for His History with Rafael Nadal, Carlos Bernardes Gets Felicitated in Emotional Scenes

After 35 years of refereeing and hundreds of tough calls later, umpire Carlos Bernardes is ready to hang his boots. Bernardes has maintained his poise in the face of everything from Rafael Nadal‘s ferocious outbursts to Nick Kyrgios and Daniil Medvedev‘s capricious antics. Now, amidst the frenzy of the Barcelona Open, the tennis community comes together to extend “more than deserved tribute”.

By the end of the year, Brazilian chair umpire Carlos Bernardes will be saying goodbye to the tennis community. Recently, he received a beautiful tribute from the ATP 500 tournament, where the 58-year-old was congratulated for his contribution to the sport. A video of the congratulation is currently making rounds on the internet.

As soon as he entered the tennis court, it was all emotional as he was congratulated and hugged by none other than David Ferrer. After that he kissed and hugged his wife. Subsequently, even when he addressed the audience, tears kept running out of his eyes in front of his home crowd, as he poured his heart out.

Interesting the 58-year-old found his passion for tennis at the age of 12. At 16, young Carlos lost his father, shifting his focus from playing to officiating ATP/ITF events. To earn that position not only he did his best but currently is among the 25 people who have earned a gold badge, in the same line of work. He also became the first South American umpire to work in a Grand Slam, that to the French Open, in 2006.

However, he is someone who has fearlessly gone against the Spaniard three times in the past 10 to 15 years, making his stand as an umpire clear. 

Times when Bernardes took a tough call against Rafael Nadal 

The 22-time Grand Slam champion, who is regarded as one of the sport’s most disciplined players, has occasionally lost his composure, usually directed by chair umpires like Carlos Bernardes. In one famous instance, Bernardes’ call of the ball “out” during Rafael Nadal’s match versus Tomas Berdych during the 2010 ATP World Tour Finals sparked an argument.

Similar to this, Nadal was given a time violation by Bernardes prior to the start of the 2018 Wimbledon Championships, even though he defeated Mikhail Kukushkin in straight sets. Nadal’s penalty against Fabio Fognini in the Rio Open semifinals was one of the biggest disputes between the two, as it involved the Brazilian umpire Carlos Bernardes.

The 37-year-old asked Bernardes if he could change off the court after realizing he had mistakenly put his shorts backward. Remarkably, Bernardes declined and told the 22-time Grand Slam winner to change it on the court. Nadal was clearly upset and enraged by this ruling, which led to a heated exchange on the court.

However, what are your thoughts on Carlos Bernardes’ career? Do let us know in the comment section below.