Tempers continued to flare at the Shanghai Masters this week after Greek tennis player Stefanos Tsitsipas refused to play while carrying on a minutes-long rant directed at a chair umpire.
During Wednesday’s Round of 16 match against rival Daniil Medvedev, Tsitsipas lashed out at umpire Fergus Murphy during the second set when he lost his first serve after being issued a time violation.
Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece plays a forehand return against Daniil Medvedev of Russia during a men’s singles fourth-round match in the Shanghai Masters at Qizhong Forest Sports City Tennis Center in Shanghai, China, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Tsitsipas appeared to take the decision as a personal attack by Murphy.
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“Why are you doing this to me, man? I’m the most consistent player on the tour,” Tsitsipas said. But Murphy didn’t back down.
“Just listen, it might help if you listen,” Murphy said. “The clock starts automatically, so you really have to keep watching the clock. I have no control over that.”
But Tsitsipas was unrelenting.
“Why are you guys against me suddenly? I don’t understand,” Tsitsipas said. “The last few months have been terrible. I don’t understand what I did to you.”
Murphy stood his ground, and the match resumed, but Tsitsipas would double fault and took issue with Murphy again and refused to continue play unless he was able to speak with a supervisor.
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“You have never played tennis in your life. You have no clue about tennis, it seems like,” Tsitsipas said, taking a personal shot at Murphy. “Definitely you’ve had no career. You probably played serve-and-volley every single time. Anyways, tennis is a physical sport, and we need some time over there. You have to show some compassion because you aren’t showing any.
Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece talks to an umpire during a men’s singles fourth-round match against Daniil Medvedev of Russia at the Shanghai Masters at Qizhong Forest Sports City Tennis Center in Shanghai, China, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
“It’s a physical sport. We are not throwing darts out here, OK,” he continued. “If it’s going to be unfair, I need to talk to the supervisor. … You seem like you have no idea what you’re doing.”
Tsitsipas eventually spoke to a supervisor, but he lost the match 7-6 (3), 6-3.
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The incident follows a heated moment between American tennis star Frances Tiafoe and chair umpire Jimmy Pinoargote Tuesday that prompted Tiafoe to issue an apology after he fired off several expletives at the game official following his loss in the third round.
“I really apologize for the way I acted tonight. That is not who I am and not how I ever want to treat people,” he said in a message shared to his Instagram story.
Frances Tiafoe of the U.S. celebrates after winning a match against China’s Zhou Yi. (Reuters/Tingshu Wang)
“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. That’s not acceptable behavior and I want to apologize to the umpire, the tournament, and the fans. I’ll be better for y’all.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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