Rafael Nadal apologises after Wimbledon third round win ends on testy note

At the end of his best match of Wimbledon this year, Nadal took Lorenzo Sonego to task at the net, but he says he was wrong.

The Spaniard won his third match in a row and advanced to the fourth round.

As Nadal continued his discussion with Sonego, the crowd booed.

Nadal told a news conference that he should not have called him to the net.

I have to admit that I was wrong. I would like to say sorry for that. I made a mistake in that. There's no problem. I'm aware of that.

The roof came on and Nadal was leading 4-2 in the third.

He was upset after Sonego set up his first break points of the match in the second game.

Nadal lost his serve when he called Sonego to the net to speak to the umpire.

I never intended to bother him. "Just to let him know that I think he was doing something in that moment, but that's it."

There is a code between players. There were some problems there. It's all done.

After they shook hands at the end of the match, Nadal continued to speak to the Italian at the net.

In his on-court interview, Nadal said he was sorry if he "bothered him" and that he had spoken to Sonego in the locker room and apologized.

Nadal dominance underlines title credentials

Prior to the episode, Nadal had made serene progress in a thoroughly dominant display that underscored his claim to a third successive Grand Slam title.

Just a day after his main title rival had done the same, Nadal sent a message of his own.

The Spaniard dropped just two points on his serve in the first set and didn't face a break point until the 8th game of the third set.

He won nine games in a row to take the first set and then held his serve to take the second and the Centre Court crowd cheered as if he had won the set.

The Italian asked the umpire to switch on the lights early in the third set, but it wasn't until 4-2 that he got his wish.

He went on to break to love, a game in which he greeted one of his own spectacular shots noisily, thus annoying his opponent, but Nadal recovered to win the next two games and set up a last-16 match against Botic van de Zandschulp.

He is playing in his first grass matches since the beginning of the year.

He had dropped a set in his first two matches but against Sonego it was as if he had never left the place where he won two of his major titles.

It was Nadal's best match to date.

"I made a lot of things better than the previous days - the determination, the way that I manage to play more aggressive, going to the net a lot."