American tennis star Frances Tiafoe berated a chair umpire with a profanity-laced outburst on Tuesday after losing her third-round match at the Shanghai Masters.
Tiafoe, seeded 13th, lost a closely fought match to unseeded Roman Safiullin (Russia) 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (7-5). He was penalized for overtime at the end of the third set tie-break. Once the match was over, Tiafoe welcomed Safiullin to the net with a handshake. He then told chair umpire Jimmy Pinoargote.
Video below contains NSFW language
“Fuck you, man,” Tiafoe shouted. “Fuck you. Seriously, man. Fuck you, you fucked me in this fucking match.”
There was no exchange of handshakes between Tiafoe and Pinoargote. Tiafoe walked away from the net after his first explosion. But he wasn’t finished.
“Three fucking hours, and you’re going to do this,” Tiafoe continued. “Why? …You screwed up the match. Great fucking job. Fuck you. Three fucking hours, I’ve been here fighting, just for a living.”
Pinoargote did not respond. He got off his chair and walked away. Tiafoe continued to berate Pinoargote as Pinoargote walked away.
What triggered Tiafoe?
Two time violations, including one in the third set tiebreak, triggered Tiafoe’s outburst. Pinoargote initially called Tiafoe for a time violation in the second set.
this was the first time violation warning Frances received near the end of set 2 that he also disagreed with. the referee gives the warning as soon as the clock reaches 0 as Tiafoe is about to throw the ball.
thoughts? pic.twitter.com/YOtLygDjKl
– Christians Court (@christianscourt) October 8, 2024
With the third set tiebreak at 5-5, Pinoargote called Tiafoe for another after tossing the ball in the air but didn’t serve. This violation cost Tiafoe her first serve. Tiafoe protested.
Moment which led Tiafoe to attack the referee.
The referee gave him a warning for time violation and withdrew his first serve.
He said “I don’t believe it, it’s now the second service”
Tiafoe said “I threw the ball, that’s the rule”
-edgeAI (@edgeAIapp) October 8, 2024
“I threw the ball. I threw the ball,” Tiafoe protested. … “I threw the ball, I’m ready to serve.”
“I don’t believe it, it’s the second service now,” Pinoargote replied. “Second service.”
“Dude, that’s the rule,” Tiafoe replied. “The ball is going up, why am I not ready to serve?”
Pinoargote then announced on the microphone that it was a second service.
Tiafoe then returned to the baseline to serve. He lost the point after a prolonged rally, then lost another to lose the tiebreak and the match. In the end, it was a critical penalty at a pivotal moment in a hard-fought match.
After calming down, Tiafoe apologized on Instagram.
“I truly apologize for the way I acted tonight,” Tiafoe wrote. “This is not who I am and how I want to treat people. I let my frustration in the heat of the moment get the best of me and I am extremely disappointed in how I handled the This is not acceptable behavior,” he added. and I want to apologize to the referee, the tournament and the fans.
“I will be better for you all.”
Tiafoe is in the midst of one of the best years of his career. He is ranked 17th in the world and just advanced to the semifinals of the US Open, tied for his deepest run ever in a Grand Slam event.
