WATCH: Frances Tiafoe slams chair umpire over playing conditions, tells booing fans to ‘shut up’
Frances Tiafoe lost his cool on Monday evening after his third round match against Lorenzo Musetti was allowed to continue while it was raining.
It started to drizzle late in the second set of the match on Grandstand and got progressively worse, but the chair umpire decided the conditions were good enough to continue the clash. Meanwhile on the other two courts, Stefanos Tsitsiptas’ match against Lorenzo Sonego and Alexander Zverev’s encounter against JJ Wolf were suspended.
Tiafoe’s frustrations started to boil over at the start of the deciding set and the American had an argument with umpire Jaume Campistol as he felt the court was slippery.
The official climbed down from his chair to check the conditions at ground level and told Tiafoe: “No need to shout Frances, if you want me to check, I will check but don’t shout.
There were boos from the spectators and Tiafoe told them to “shut up, man” at one point.
Campistol continued: “Frances, the court is fine for now.
Tiafoe responded: “It’s absolutely pouring with rain. The lines are slick as hell. How are we playing? How?”
Campistol replied: “If the court is fit to play we have to continue.”
The discussion continued and the official insisted: “It’s the same for both.”
Tiafoe again shouted “shut up” to the booing fans.
We have DRAMA in Rome
Two of the three matches going have been suspended due to rain but this one between Italian Lorenzo Musetti and @FTiafoe continues & eventually he falls behind a break
"Of course you're gonna let us play when this guy's from here!"pic.twitter.com/1V5HzwaLU9
— Kenny Ducey (@KennyDucey) May 15, 2023
Play continued and Musetti eventually broke to lead 1-0 in the third set and at the changeover Tiafoe again made his frustrations known.
“Of course you’re gonna let us play when this guy’s from here! How are we playing on this court right now? How?” he shouted.
“How are we possibly playing on this court when it’s raining this hard?
“I don’t care! How are we playing on this? How? You’re joking. Every single one of you is playing tricks.
“Of course you won’t stop this as I’m playing an Italian.”
They played two more games before the match was eventually suspended with the Italian leading 5-7, 6-4, 2-1.
“I was complaining to you in the first game,” Tiafoe continued. “Don’t say ‘I know’ because I’m down a break man… I don’t care about what the radar says I’m looking at the sky. This is exactly what I’m talking about. But now we stop.
“It’s the same thing the other day. How are we playing? You are on the court and you’re watching it. How much do I complain? I’ve been on the tour for eight years, have I ever brought you on the court? We stop now.”
The winner of the Tiafoe-Musetti clash will take on the winner of Tsitsipas-Sonego encounter in the fourth round while either 15th seed Borna Coric or Fabian Marozsan, who stunned second seed Carlos Alcaraz on Monday, awaiting in the quarter-final.
READ MORE: Carlos Alcaraz shrugs off ‘tiredness’ excuse, says he was outplayed
