I’ll Deal with it Better When They Change

By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Tuesday, October 22, 2024
Photo credit: Zhe Ji/Getty

At his best, Frances Tiafoe plays with the joy of a pro debutant.

Lately, Tiafoe is bringing madness to match play—and says repeated time violations as the trigger to temper tantrums.

More: Rafael Nadal Announces Retirement from Tennis

Today, Tiafoe topped Cameron Norrie 6-4, 7-6(4) in Vienna despite a run in with the chair umpire at the end of the opening set.

Serving at 5-4, Tiafoe, who sweats as profusely as the young Patrick Rafter, was hit with a time violation warning while retrieving his towel.

Tiafoe briefly argued both the timing of the call and the fact the towel bins were a fairly lengthy distance for him to walk during the 25 seconds between points.

Fending off a pair of break points, Tiafoe rallied from 15-40 down to serve out the first set screaming “yeah! Let’s go!” toward the chair umpire as he trotted to his court-side seat.

That action prompted another warning prompting Tiafoe to confer with the tournament referee.

Through to R2 😃@FTiafoe defeats Norrie 6-4 7-6 to set up a clash against Berrettini in Vienna!#ErsteBankOpen pic.twitter.com/TFb7tcqzOH

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 22, 2024

After the match, the former US Open semifinalist was asked if he’s concerned his outbursts set a poor example for the kids who look up to him. Tiafoe said he’s ticked off by being hit with time violations for what he said was the fourth straight match.

“Look, I mean a lot of my fans are kids, man. And I understand that. I know the effect I have on kids and kids want to be like me,” Tiafoe said. “The passion I play with and the joy I play with and they can see themselves in me.

“And I don’t take those moments for granted.”

While Tiafoe did not say officials are targeting him, he called the repeated time violations “insane.”

“But at the same time, we put a lot of blood, sweat and tears in out here. And for me to play four consecutive matches and get four consecutive time violations is insane,” Tiafoe said. “And it needs to be spoken about because then that’s loss of points, loss of money, loss of opportunity, you know, fines come with that because of reaction.”

The reaction wasn’t exactly fun, fun, fun when Big Foe unleashed a flurry of F-Bombs at the chair umpire in Shanghai earlier this month.

Incensed he was hit with a time violation during his loss to Roman Safiullin, Tiafoe unloaded an F-bomb barrage reminiscent of the young Ilie Nastase and John McEnroe. 

Moment which lead to Tiafoe lashing out on the umpire.

Umpire gave him time violation warning and took his first serve away.

He said ‘I’m not buying it, this is now second serve’

Tiafoe said ‘ I tossed the ball, this is the rule’

pic.twitter.com/hBDAAamvrm

— edgeAI (@edgeAIapp) October 8, 2024

After losing the next two points Tiafoe shook hands with Safiullin and thundered obscenities at chair umpire Pinoargote. Tiafoe later apologized for that outburst.

Today, Tiafoe said he’ll tone down his temper when officials “make a change.”

“I’ll deal with it better when they make a change. The more I kind of just go on with it I don’t think any change will happen,” Tiafoe said in his on-court interview after defeating Norrie. “Me getting four time violations in four matches is pretty ridiculous to me.

“I’ve been on Tour 10 years and that’s never happened. So I just want to know why.”