Andy Roddick looked back this week on the incident that led to Frances Tiafoe’s 2024 Rolex Shanghai Masters campaign concluding on a controversial note. Tiafoe was penalized by the chair umpire at a critical juncture in the third set against Roman Safiullin. The American later shook his Russian opponent’s hand at the net before unleashing an expletive-laden rant at the umpire.
Tiafoe and Safiullin were all square after the first two sets in their third-round clash in Shanghai, with Tiafoe winning the first set 7-5 and the latter coming out on top in the next set by the same margin. In the third set, with the score level at 5-5 in the tiebreak, a contentious moment marred proceedings.
Tiafoe tossed the ball nonchalantly into the air in a bid to reset the shot clock. This would have allowed him more time to ready his serve. However, chair umpire Jimmy Pinoargote gave the American a time violation and also took away his first serve. The two-time US Open semifinalist, however, maintained he had played by the rules.
The next two points, and with them, the match, went Roman Safiullin’s way. At the conclusion of the match, a livid Frances Tiafoe did not hold back as he screamed expletives repeatedly in Pinoargote’s direction.
In the latest episode of the “Served With Andy Roddick” podcast, former World No. 1 Andy Roddick delved into that moment. Roddick opined that faking a ball toss has become a norm for tennis players wanting to reset the shot clock. However, the 2003 US Open champion added the umpire did not take Frances Tiafoe’s toss seriously because the American himself was a bit too casual about it. Roddick said,
“The easiest way to reset a shot clock is to fake a toss, right? But basically the ruling on Frances was, ‘you didn’t pretend enough for me to make me think that it was a realistic attempt,’ where if we’re going letter of the law, it should have reset when Frances tossed the ball no matter what it looked like. If you’re gonna let everyone get away with it all year long, but because they’re faking and going through this weird end around this dumb rule that the toss isn’t part of a serve […] if you catch a toss that should be a fault. That’s the simplest way to get around all of this crap.”
The former World No. 1 added that Tiafoe had “mocked the rules,” while other players the same but had gotten away with doing the same.
“It’s almost a net negative as far as timing goes if you allow this (existing) rule. Frances didn’t do anything different than anyone else has done all year. He basically just made a mockery of it, which, apparently if you mock it, it’s too far. If you do it and pretend like you’re being real, then it’s fine,” Roddick concluded (at 17:36).
Frances Tiafoe’s controversial behavior towards the umpire in the aftermath of his loss to Safiullin in Shanghai led to calls urging for the American to be suspended.
The 26-year-old took to social media sometime after the match to issue an apology for his actions.
“I let my frustration in the heat of the moment get the best of me” – Frances Tiafoe apologizes for widely-condemned behavior with chair umpire in Shanghai
Amid growing calls for Frances Tiafoe to be suspended for his behavior, the American shared a post on Instagram expressing his regret over his outburst at Pinoargote. Tiafoe wrote that his frustrations at the time got the better of him, which led to him lashing out at the umpire. He also maintained that he is not someone who normally treats people disrespectfully.
Tiafoe said,
“I really apologize for the way I acted tonight. That is not who I am and not how I ever 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. 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.”
Frances Tiafoe’s next outing is set to be at the 2024 Almaty Open, an ATP 250-level event, where he is the top seed and will begin his campaign against Daniel Evans in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. Tiafoe and Evans are set to play each other on Thursday, October 17.
