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STEFANOS TSITSIPAS was branded a “cry baby” for refusing to play and then telling the umpire: “I hope you get fired.”
Tsitsipas, 26, faced old nemesis Daniil Medvedev in the last 16 at the Shanghai Masters.
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But after they put their differences aside to pose for a pre-match photo – prompting audible gasps from the crowd – the Greek star lost his rag with a spectacular meltdown.
Tsitsipas dropped the first set on a tie-break and was serving with a break early in the second when his frustrations boiled over.
Chair umpire Fergus Murphy called Tsitsipas up for a time violation because the 25-second shot clock expired and docked the two-time Grand Slam finalist of his first serve.
But the player was furious and stormed towards Murphy to remonstrate and make his feelings clear.
Tsitsipas said: “I’m being so reasonable. Why are you doing this to me man?
“I’m the best about this on tour, the most consistent player about this on tour.”
Murphy replied: “The clock starts automatically, just listen. It might help if you listen.
“The clock starts automatically so you really have to watch the clock. I have no control over that.”
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But Tsitsipas hit back: “Why are you guys against me so much? The last few months have been terrible. I don’t understand what’s gotten into you.”
Murphy refuted the accusations: “That’s not a correct statement. I’m not against you or anybody.”
Tsitsipas asked: “Are you sure? There are some out there who are much worse than me.”
Murphy then added: “Well maybe if you watch more matches, I’m sure they get time violations.
“The best thing to do is talk about this match. On that serve you were too slow.
“You need to watch the clock. You have to keep watching the clock and keep up.”
Tsitsipas reluctantly returned to the baseline for his second serve – which he missed to double fault.
He then dropped his serve as Medvedev levelled the set at 2-2.
But before the Russian could begin the next game, Tsitsipas unleashed another petulant protest – walking back to his chair and sitting down to demand the supervisor.
Tsitsipas moaned: “I need to talk to them, we need to have a conversation about the time.
“My issue is the double fault you just took away from me. That’s the issue. Have you never played tennis in your life? You have no clue about tennis it seems like.”
Murphy said: “I have. I’m not as good as you are, but I’ve played.”
Tennis stars’ new careers
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- I earned £9m and won French Open before setting up bistro with Brazilian model girlfriend
- I’m last Frenchman to win Roland Garros, now I’m singer with six albums hitting No1 in charts
- I’m former world No1 but quit aged 29 – instead I went on to play professional poker and golf
- I was destined for the top but swapped lobs for labs as award-winning Harvard physicist
Tsitsipas then bizarrely ranted: “Definitely you have no cardio. You probably serve and volley all the time.
“Tennis is a physical sport. We need time over there. Show some compassion. We aren’t throwing darts out here.
“If it’s going to be unfair, I need the supervisor, I need to clarify the time violation you just gave me.
“Can I talk to him? You seem like you have no idea what you’re doing so I need to talk to him.
“If you’re going to gift a game like this to my opponent, I need the supervisor. If you’re going to gift a serve to my opponent.”
Murphy insisted he was following the rules correctly and the crowd started booing when Tsitsipas continued to refuse to play.
When the supervisor eventually came on, he stood by Murphy but the world No12 vented: “Let’s discuss, let’s talk. Well, your guy here decided to give me a time violation for something completely unreasonable after having to play so many rallies.
“He probably never felt how it is being out here in 40 degrees playing tennis.
“And he decided to give me a time violation before a big point which has happened with one of your Spanish guys previously in Cincinnati.
“Also another I don’t know, random guy that you decided to put on the chair out there. How can he do that? How can he do that at such a crucial moment?”
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The supervisor simply responded: “Since Roland Garros you know that we’ve had a change in the procedures and the clock starts automatically.”
Tsitsipas finally trudged back to the back of the court to return serve.
He was then broken again at 4-3 before Medvedev served out for a 7-6 6-3 victory – setting up a quarter-final clash with world No1 Jannik Sinner.
Tsitsipas did shake hands with Murphy at the end of the match but as he was heading off court, he muttered a final jab: “I hope you get fired. I really wish it.”
Tennis fans piled in on Tsitsipas for his pathetic behaviour towards the officials.
One said: “Tsitsipas is 100 per cent wrong. He is a cry baby.”
Another wrote: “Biggest cry baby on tour.”
A third added: “You can’t make this up. Says the umpire should be fired and also says he needs to shown compassion. He needs to grow up, fast.”
And a final user commented: “Pathetic stuff from Tsitsipas.”
Tsitsipas – whose girlfriend Paula Badosa sparked a racism storm on social media this week – is not the only player to feel hard done by during the Shanghai Masters.
Stan Wawrinka was on the wrong end of an almighty blunder where Carlos Bernades lost track of the score.
And Frances Tiafoe lost his temper, swearing “f*** you” at the umpire five times after losing a first serve for a time violation, just like Tsitsipas.
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Wimbledon ditching line judges a double fault for British tennis
By Joshua Jones
THE absence of line judges at Wimbledon will be a sad sight.
For as long as I can remember, the men and women decked out in their Ralph Lauren outfits have been part of the furniture at the All England Club.
Yes, they provided some mild entertainment on the court when one would call “fault” with plenty of extra, and unnecessary, gusto and volume that boomed around Centre Court, prompting a snigger from the fans.
Then there was the ongoing game of dodgeball they had to play when a big serve nailed a mammoth ace down the line and they had to take rapid evasive action or take a whack to the top of the head.
And challenges provided some audience participation, excitedly joining in the clapping countdown before the inevitable “oooh” when the graphic showed just how close the ball was to landing in or out.
Purely objectively, Wimbledon’s decision to replace line judges with Hawk-Eye Live makes total sense.
The accuracy and consistency of calls in real-time will speed things up, save time and should mark the end of arguments over the tight incorrect calls – well, until the technology malfunctions.
And Wimbledon’s hand was somewhat forced to ditch tradition for their standing in tennis.
The Australian Open and US Open already use electronic line calling and the ATP Tour is adopting Hawk-Eye Live across all of its tournaments from 2025.
Wimbledon’s refusal to comply would leave them lagging behind and exposed to the threat of needless controversy over human error.
But the impact – as is so often the case in these decisions – has ramifications further down, below the surface with very little impact on Wimbledon’s Championships or the players.
It is on the line judges themselves.
Approximately 300 officials – aged from 18 to 80 – covered more than 650 matches at Wimbledon.
A fraction travel internationally with the circuit but the vast majority of those are part-time line judges based in the UK, earning up to £180 per day to work at the prestigious tournament and their chance to play their part at Wimbledon.
For many, they will help out at British tournaments throughout the year, spurred on by the possibility of taking to the lawns of the All England Club.
But it is understood many of those officials would be reluctant to work at the lower-level tournaments without the carrot of Wimbledon dangling in the summer.
That in turn will put a major stumbling block in the pathway for British tennis umpires, who grind up through the ranks to reach the pinnacle of the sport.
Like football with referees, tennis needs umpires and line judges.
So the inability to call “out” at Wimbledon could prove to be a major “fault” for the future of the UK’s tennis officials and therefore the state of the sport on these shores.
