Frances Tiafoe has been hit with a $120,000 fine for a profanity-filled outburst directed at a chair umpire during his match at the Shanghai Masters last month. The ATP, the organization overseeing men’s tennis, announced on Thursday that its fines committee had imposed a $60,000 penalty for aggravated behavior. Additionally, Tiafoe was given the maximum $60,000 fine for verbal abuse during the match. The incident took place during his loss to Russian Roman Safiullin in October. Tiafoe has since apologized for his actions.
Frances Tiafoe became frustrated after receiving a time violation for his first serve during the final set tiebreak, with the score tied at 5-5. He argued with the chair umpire, Jimmy Pinoargote, saying, “No, no, no, no, I tossed the ball up … I was ready to serve. Dude, that’s the rule,” insisting that he had already thrown the ball for his serve. In reply, Pinoargote dismissed his claim, saying, “I’m not buying it, it’s the second serve,” before announcing over the microphone that Tiafoe was now serving his second serve.
After losing the point and the match, Frances Tiafoe’s frustration boiled over. Following the handshake at the net, the 26-year-old turned his anger towards chair umpire Jimmy Pinoargote, shouting a series of expletives while Roman Safiullin celebrated his victory. Some members of the crowd were heard laughing at the outburst.
Later, Tiafoe took to social media to apologize for his actions. On Instagram, the world No. 18 expressed regret, writing, “That is not who I am and not how I want to treat people. I let my frustration get the best of me in the heat of the moment, and I’m extremely disappointed with how I handled it. That’s not acceptable behavior, and I want to apologize to the umpire, the tournament, and the fans.”