American tennis player insults referee at Shanghai Masters

In the deciding tie-break of the third set, Tiafoe was penalized for a time error when the score was tied at 5-5. According to the International Tennis Association (ATP) rules, players have 25 seconds to serve after the previous point.

The American failed to serve as the clock ran out. When he threw the ball into the air without hitting it, umpire Jimmy Pinoargote called a time violation, causing Tiafoe to lose his first serve. The incident angered the world No. 17.

Frances Tiafoe couldn't keep her cool after being eliminated at the 2024 Shanghai Masters (Photo: Getty).

Despite Tiafoe's arguments, the umpire forced him to serve two. Tiafoe then lost the crucial point, trailing 5-6. Roman Safiullin served the match and hit an unstoppable ace. The match ended with Roman Safiullin winning the set 5-7, 7-5, 7-6.

After the match ended, Tiafoe shouted "You bastard" several times at the referee. He refused to shake the referee's hand, continuing to express his frustration that the referee's decision had affected the match.

Tiafoe continued to attack the referee: "You ruined my match. I ran for three hours to get that point. I will not let you officiate any more of my matches."

With this action of allegedly using offensive and insulting words to the referee, Frances Tiafoe could be fined up to 5,000 USD for each swearing and the total fine could be up to 60,000 USD if these actions are considered serious.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/tay-vot-nguoi-my-thoa-ma-trong-tai-o-thuong-hai-masters-20241009154215899.htm