American tennis star Frances Tiafoe berated a chair umpire with a profane outburst on Tuesday after losing his third-round match at the Shanghai Masters.
Tiafoe, seeded 13th, lost a closely contested match to unseeded Roman Safiullin (Russia), 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (7-5). He was penalized for a time violation late in the third set tiebreak. When the match was over, Tiafoe greeted Safiullin at the net with a handshake. He then put referee Jimmy Pinoargote on the chair.
The video below contains NSFW language
“F** you, man,” Tiafoe shouted. “F*** you. Seriously, man. F*** you. You fucked me in the damn match.”
There was no handshake exchange between Tiafoe and Pinoargote. Tiafoe walked away from the net after his first burst. But he wasn’t done yet.
“Three fucking hours, and that’s what you’re going to do,” Tiafoe continued. “Why? … You ruined the match. Great job. F*** you. For three goddamn hours I’ve been here fighting just for a living.”
Pinoargote did not respond. He got off the chair and walked away. Tiafoe continued to berate Pinoargote as Pinoargote walked away.
What made Tiafoe tick?
A pair of time violations, including one during the third-set tiebreak, sparked Tiafoe’s outburst. Pinoargote initially called Tiafoe for a time violation in the second set.
this was the first time violation warning Frances received towards the end of set 2, which he 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’s Court (@christianscourt) October 8, 2024
With the third set tiebreak at 5-5, Pinoargote called Tiafoe for another one after throwing the ball in the air but not serving. The foul cost Tiafoe his first serve. Tiafoe protested.
Moment that led to Tiafoe lashing out at the referee.
The referee gave him a time violation warning and took away his first serve.
He said: ‘I’m not buying it, this is the second time now’
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 buy this, it’s the second service now,” Pinoargote responded. “Second service.”
“Dude, that’s the rule,” Tiafoe replied. “The ball is going up, why am I not ready to serve?”
Pinoargote then announced into the microphone that it was the second serve.
Tiafoe then returned to the baseline to serve. He lost the point after an extended rally and then lost another point, losing the tiebreak and the match. In the end it was a crucial penalty at a crucial point in a hard-fought match.
After cooling down, Tiafoe apologized on Instagram.
“I apologize for the way I acted tonight,” Tiafoe wrote. “That is not who I am or how I ever want to treat people. I let my frustration get the better of me in the heat of the moment and I am extremely disappointed with the way I handled the situation. That is not acceptable behavior, and I would like to apologize to the referee, the tournament and the fans.
“I’ll be better for you.”
Tiafoe is in the midst of one of the best years of his career. He is ranked 17th in the world and has just returned from a trip to the semi-finals of the US Open, where he recorded his deepest ever run in a Grand Slam event.
