The ATP stars don’t seem to be getting along well with the officials at the Shanghai Masters. After two consecutive days of schedule delays, now debatable decisions from the chair umpires have emerged as another big story. Frances Tiafoe appeared to be quite in form at the US Open. However, soon after he faced a defeat in the semi-final showdown against Taylor Fritz, things fell off a little bit for the American star. At the Shanghai Masters, the fans had high hopes from Tiafoe, but as it turned out, the 26-year-old finished the event on a sour note.

Frances Tiafoe seemed to be regaining a bit of momentum after he took down Zhou Yi with a commendable straight-set win in his first match in the tournament. While fans had similar expectations from his second-round match against Roman Safiullin, things took a completely unexpected turn. The American, despite starting off well and getting the first set to his name, lost control of the match and it was Saifullin who took charge in the last two sets to win the match with an eventual scoreline of 5-7, 7-5, 7-6.

Although the handshake between the two rivals appeared normal after the match, things suddenly turned heated as Tiafoe approached the chair umpire. Instead of extending his hand, Tiafoe started lashing out at him with cursing words. “F*** you man, F*** you!” he screamed, venting out all his frustration on the official. This quickly sent shockwaves among the crowd as they collectively started booing at him.

However, this wasn’t just the only act of rage recorded at the ongoing event. Daniil Medvedev had to defend himself after a heated outburst during his second-round match at the Shanghai Masters. The Russian tennis star faced Matteo Arnaldi and secured a 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory. However, his win was overshadowed by a fiery exchange with the official in the second set.

Medvedev received a code violation, and he reacted angrily, appearing to insult the official. The outburst led to a point penalty, but Medvedev managed to calm down and eventually took the set and the match. Speaking about the incident, Medvedev explained that his frustration originated from disagreements with the umpire. He admitted to being upset but stressed that his actions were in the heat of the moment.

Coming back to Tiafoe though, this wasn’t the first time when he lost his cool on the court. He has lost his temper on the court before.

Frances Tiafoe and his long trail of racket breaks

Back in 2023, Team USA faced the Netherlands in the Davis Cup, and Frances Tiafoe struggled in his second match against Tallon Griekspoor. Having lost his first match already, Tiafoe found himself in a tough battle. The match was tense and emotional from start to finish as both players were fighting hard for every point. Tiafoe lost the first set 6-3 but showed resilience by making a comeback in the second set, which he won 7-6(7), forcing a decider.

But moving ahead, things started looking even worse for the American star. During the tie-breaker in the third set, Tiafoe fell behind 5-2, and frustration got the better of him. Reaching his breaking point, he smashed his racket in anger. This action led to a point penalty, which only made things harder for him. The penalty contributed to his loss in the final set, sealing his second defeat in the tournament.

While such outbursts have sometimes hurt his performance, at the US Open for a change, Tiafoe seemed a bit more composed and his frustration seemed more like an expression of disappointment than pure rage. However, the way he reacted at the Shanghai Masters today was far from ideal.