Frances Tiafoe has landed herself in trouble after a foul-mouthed rant at the referee following her loss to Roman Safiullin.
The American world number 17 reacted furiously after being penalized for a time violation at 5-5 in a crucial tiebreaker in the third set of the Shanghai Masters.
Tiafoe lost the next two points, allowing Safiullin to secure a 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (5) victory.
The world number 61 shook hands with Tiafoe at the net, before the American unloaded on the referee, much to the amusement of the crowd.
‘Fuck you, man! ‘Fuck you!’ Tiafoe shouted before refusing to shake the official’s hand. ‘Seriously, man. ‘You screwed up my fucking game!’
Frances Tiafoe ranted badly to the referee after his loss to Roman Safiullin
Players have 25 seconds to serve after the climax of the previous point. As time ran out, Tiafoe walked to the baseline and threw the ball into the air without hitting it.
The referee called a time violation, which meant Tiafoe lost his first serve. ‘No, no, no. “I threw the ball up,” the American fumed as he approached the referee. ‘I was on the line and I threw the ball… I was ready to serve!’
After the referee insisted it was now the second serve, Tiafoe shouted: ‘Dude, that’s the rule! If the ball goes up, how come I’m not ready to serve?’
Tiafoe, a US Open semi-finalist in 2022 and 2024, could face heavy punishment for the outburst, with ATP rules stating that players can be fined up to $60,000 for verbal abuse.
“Players may not at any time verbally abuse, directly or indirectly, an official, opponent, sponsor, spectator or any other person within the tournament venue,” the ATP states.
“Verbal abuse is defined as any statement about an official, opponent, sponsor, spectator or any other person that involves dishonesty or is derogatory, insulting or otherwise abusive.”
The American world number 17 reacted with fury after being penalized for a time violation.
