American tennis player Frances Tiafoe has incurred a fine of $120,000 for his repeated insults directed at the umpire during his defeat at the Shanghai Masters last month; however, he will not be subject to a suspension. The ATP announced at the season-ending tournament in Italy that the fine consists of $60,000 for his inappropriate conduct and an additional $60,000 for verbally abusing the umpire. The 28-year-old, currently ranked 18th in the world, faced the possibility of suspension but will remain eligible to compete, according to the ATP.
Following his third-round defeat to Russian Roman Safiulin, ranked 61st in the world, with a score of 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(5) in Shanghai, Tiafoe expressed his frustration in a minute-long tirade, during which he directed ten expletives at umpire Jimmy Benuargoti. Subsequently, Tiafoe took to social media to issue an apology, acknowledging that his conduct was entirely inappropriate. He stated, “This is not who I am and this is not how I want to treat people.” He further remarked, “I allowed my frustration to overwhelm me, and I am profoundly disappointed in my response to the situation.”
