American tennis star Frances Tiafoe on Tuesday berated a chair umpire with a profane outburst after losing her third-round match at the Shanghai Masters.
Tiafoe, seeded No. 13, lost a close match to unseeded Roman Safiullin (Russia), 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (7-5). He was penalized for a time violation at the end of the third set tiebreaker. When the match ended, Tiafoe greeted Safiullin at the net with a handshake. Then he put the chair umpire Jimmy Pinoargote.
The following video contains NSFW language.
“Fuck you, man,” Tiafoe yelled. “Fuck you. Seriously, man. Screw you. You screwed me in the damn game.”
There was no exchange of handshakes between Tiafoe and Pinoargote. Tiafoe walked away from the net after his initial outburst. But it wasn’t over.
“Three fucking hours and you’re going to do that,” Tiafoe continued. “Why?…You ruined the matchup. Great job. Screw you. I’m here fighting for three fucking hours, just to make a living.”
Pinoargote did not respond. He got off the chair and walked away. Tiafoe continued to berate Pinoargote as Pinoargote walked away.
What triggered Tiafoe?
A pair of time violations, including one during the third-set tiebreaker, led to Tiafoe’s outburst. Pinoargote initially called out Tiafoe for a time violation in the second set.
This was the initial time violation warning Frances received towards the end of Set 2, which she also disagreed with. The referee gives the warning as soon as the clock hits 0, even though Tiafoe is about to throw the ball.
thoughts? pic.twitter.com/YOtLygDjKl
— Christian Court (@christianscourt) October 8, 2024
With the third set tiebreak at 5-5, Pinoargote asked Tiafoe for another one after he threw the ball into the air but it was no use. The violation cost Tiafoe his first serve. Tiafoe protested.
Moment that led Tiafoe to attack the referee.
The referee warned him for a time violation and took away his first serve.
He said: “I don’t believe it, this is now the second service.”
Tiafoe said ‘I threw the ball, this is 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 already the second service,” Pinoargote responded. “Second service.”
“Dude, that’s the rule,” Tiafoe responded. “The ball goes up, how come I’m not ready to serve?”
Pinoargote then announced over the microphone that it was the second serve.
Tiafoe then returned to the baseline to serve. He lost the point after a long rally and then lost another to lose the tiebreaker and the match. In the end, it was a critical penalty at a crucial point in a very close game.
After calming down, Tiafoe apologized on Instagram.
“I truly apologize for the way I acted tonight,” Tiafoe wrote. “That’s not who I am and now this is 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 with the way I handled the situation. That is not acceptable behavior.” and I want to apologize to the referee, the tournament and the fans.
“I will be better for all of you.”
Tiafoe is in the midst of one of the best years of his career. He is ranked 17th in the world and just reached the semifinal of the US Open, tied for his deepest streak in a Grand Slam event.
