"How many match ban is Frances Tiafoe getting?" - Fans furious after American verbally abuses chair umpire in Shanghai Masters exit

Fans were furious after Frances Tiafoe verbally lashed out at the chair umpire following his third-round loss to Roman Safiullin at the 2024 Shanghai Masters. The incident occurred after umpire Jimmy Pinoargote issued Tiafoe a time violation at a critical point in the match which led to a heated exchange between the two.

On Tuesday, October 8, Tiafoe and Safiullin locked horns for the first time on the tour. The pair was eyeing a fourth-round clash against Novak Djokovic and 13th seed Tiafoe was quick off the blocks to win the first set. The Russian turned the tide in the second set and forced a decider.

It was difficult to separate the pair as they entered into a tiebreaker to decide the match. At 5-5 in the tiebreaker, Tiafoe lost his first serve as he was handed a time violation by the chair umpire. The American pleaded his case but to no avail. Safiullin managed to win the next two points and claimed a 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(5) victory.

The competitors shook hands at the net after the match and while walking toward the umpire, Tiafoe lashed out. He started yelling at Pinoargote:

“F*ck you, f*ck you, man. Seriously man, f*ck you, you f*cking idiot..."

Fans on X were furious with Tiafoe's conduct with some calling for his suspension. One fan wrote:

"This is wild & crazy. How many match ban is Tiafoe getting?"

"Definitely unacceptable. I wonder if he will get suspended too?" another fan asked.

Some fans called Frances Tiafoe's outburst "abuse". One fan wrote:

"This is abuse. He totally lost it…. The attacks on the the umpires are getting out of control…. Tiafoe should get suspended."

"It doesn’t matter if they make mistakes, nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, warrants tennis players threatening umpires physically (Zverev Acapulco 2022) or verbally (Tiafoe in Shanghai today)," another fan wrote.

"Why did he have to use those words," a third fan wrote.

"Horrible from Big foe," yet another fan wrote.

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Roman Safiullin to face Novak Djokovic in Shanghai Masters 2024 4R after victory over Frances Tiafoe

Frances Tiafoe at the 2024 Shanghai Rolex Masters (Image: Getty)

After claiming victory over Frances Tiafoe in their first-ever encounter, Roman Safiullin will take on Novak Djokovic for the third time on the tour. The pair will face off in the fourth round of the Shanghai Masters.

Djokovic has won both their previous encounters with the latest coming earlier this year in Monte-Carlo. The Serb is playing his first event since the US Open and is yet to lose a set in Shanghai. He got the better of Alex Michelsen 7-6(3), 7-6(9) before defeating Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 6-2.