Tennis stars’ love for other sports is well-known, and it will once again be tested when they face the difficult choice of staying in Paris or flying out to watch the UEFA Champions League final. The elite club competition’s final will take place at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, featuring Spanish champions Real Madrid and German Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund fighting to claim the ultimate prize.
Last year, Italy’s tennis star Fabio Fognini nearly received a ban after flying to watch the Champions League final between English champions Manchester City and Serie A champions Inter Milan. The 37-year-old made the trip just weeks before the start of Wimbledon and failed to report his travel to the authorities, leading to missed tests in the lead-up to the competition.
Fognini’s team managed to help him escape the ban, but he still did not participate in Wimbledon last year. He was not the only tennis player who attended the Champions League final. In 2022, former world number one Rafael Nadal attended the grand finale featuring his favorite club, Real Madrid, taking on Liverpool. In that contest, Los Blancos emerged victorious with a 1-0 score.