American tennis star Frances Tiafoe curses out umpire in fiery tirade after loss at Shanghai Masters
Frances Tiafoe later issued a public apology to the umpire
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American tennis star Frances Tiafoe issued an apology on Tuesday after he shocked fans when he blasted profanities at a chair umpire following his third round loss at the Shanghai Masters on Tuesday.
The U.S. Open semifinalist was upset by 61st-ranked Roman Safiullin in a 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (5) loss.
Immediately after shaking hands, Tiafoe moved on to the official.
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"F--- you, man," a visibly frustrated Tiafoe shouted. "F--- you. Seriously man, f--- you."
According to The Associated Press, Tiafoe shouted about 10 expletives in the direction of official Jimmy Pinoargote during a minute-long tirade.
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He later posted an apology to his social media.
"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 Stories.
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"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 outburst was seemingly in reaction to a time violation he received at 5-5 in the decisive tiebreaker. He was docked his first serve after Pinoargote found he was not making a genuine attempt to serve.
He lost that point and the next to lose the match.
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Tiafoe could face harsh punishment for the outburst.
According to the ATP Tour rulebook, he could be fined $60,000 for the verbal abuse of an official, lose out on prize money, or the matter could be subjected to further investigation.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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