"What a clown that referee is" - Tennis fans criticize chair umpire for urging players to not scream during ATP Challenger match

Tennis fans lashed out at the chair umpire who officiated a match at the Tenerife Challenger 2 tournament on Wednesday, February 1, for urging the players not to scream during the contest.

Rodriguez Taverna locked horns with Roberto Marcora in the second round of the Challenger tournament held in Spain. During the first set of the match, Taverna was constantly screaming after claiming his points. The annoyed chair umpire warned the player not to shout anymore, stating that the action was "unprofessional."

However, Taverna had a conflict with the official and went on to affirm that there are no rules that prevent him from doing so. In light of the incident, several tennis fans expressed their irritation with the umpire as they felt his demands were unfair to the player.

One fan called the umpire a "clown" for his antics during the match.

"What a clown that referee is , it was a typical challenger point," the fan wrote on Twitter.

Tennis journalist Jose Morgado marked his amusement at having come across such a strange incident, tweeting:

"What the f...? Who is this umpire?"

Another fan expressed that they support Taverna for his actions and pointed out that even Marcora had no problems with his opponent screaming. The fan felt it was just normal for players to celebrate and be happy about the points they earned.

"But Marcora says it has no problem neither, he says that Taverna can scream whenever he wants. Btw I’m agree with Taverna, he is playing to win money, I don’t see problem on being happy because of points you won (sic)," the tweet read.

One Tennis fan felt that Taverna's argument against the umpire was fair and that players should be able to celebrate their points.

"Taverna said that they are playing for money and also for the ranking so, they should be able to celebrate each point," the fan tweeted.

Here are a few other reactions:

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Roberto Marcora beat Rodriguez Taverna to qualify for the quarterfinals of the Tenerife Challenger 2 tennis tournament

Roberto Marcora at the Singapore Open

Roberto Marcora mounted a spirited comeback against Rodriguez Taverna after losing the opening set to prevail 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 as the Italian earned qualification to the semi-finals of the Tenerife Challenger 2 tournament. He will face South African Lloyd Harris in his next match on Friday, February 3.

Marcora took part in the 2023 Australian Open as well. He endured an exit in the first round of the qualifiers upon losing against Juan Pablo Varillas in straight sets.