FILE - Frances Tiafoe plays forehand return shot at the Shanghai Masters. Tiafoe could face a fine of over R1 million after verbally abusing an umpire. FILE - Frances Tiafoe plays forehand return shot at the Shanghai Masters. Tiafoe could face a fine of over R1 million after verbally abusing an umpire. Picture: Hector Retamal/ AFP
WARNING: Strong language in the video ...
American tennis player Frances Tiafoe has apologised after repeatedly swearing at the umpire at the end of his Shanghai Masters match with Russia's Roman Safiullin.
World No 17 Tiafoe completely lost the plot after going down 7-5, 5-7, 6-7 (5/7) to Safiullin in China, and ended up taking his frustrations out on chair umpire Jimmy Pinoargote after the match.
Pinoargote had earlier given Tiafoe a time violation while the American was serving at 5-5 in the final set tie-break.
Tiafoe was then visibly upset when Pinoargote ordered him to start the point with a second serve. Safiullin then went on to win the next two points to secure the victory.
the drama at the end of the tiafoe/safiullin match pic.twitter.com/HftfltXHew
— emily (@sportyandhot) October 8, 2024
After shaking hands with Safiullin at the net, Tiafoe then had a full go at Pinoargote, dropping many F-bombs during his outburst. He even mentioned that the umpire “really had it in for me today”.
Tiafoe later took to social media to apologise for his actions, saying “that’s not who I am”.
"I really apologise for the way I acted tonight," he wrote on Instagram.
"That is not who I am and not how I want to treat people. I let my frustration in the heat of the moment get the best of me and I'm extremely disappointed with how I handled the situation.
Francis Tiafoe apologies to the umpire, the tournament, and the fans for the way he acted on court during his match against Safiullin. He said the following on Instagram:
— edgeAI (@edgeAIapp) October 8, 2024
“I really apologize for the way I acted tonight. That is not who I am and not how I ever want to treat… pic.twitter.com/4gOhCMupna
"That's not acceptable behaviour and I want to apologise to the umpire, the tournament and the fans."
Tiafoe could now face a fine of up over R1 million from the ATP for the verbal abuse.
@JohnGoliath82