Nothing seems to be going the way of Frances Tiafoe at the moment. After a spirited US Open campaign where he reached the semifinals, it has been a downward trajectory for the American star. Tiafoe won just 1 of the 3 matches that he played at the Laver Cup as his team lost against Team Europe. Subsequently, he was knocked out in the first round of the Japan Open. As if this wasn’t enough, Tiafoe was involved in a controversial moment after his campaign ended in Shanghai. And, now he might have to face massive repercussions for his actions.

Looking to dig deep at the Shanghai Masters, Tiafoe was up against Roman Safiullin in the third round. However, he lost a close contest which resulted in him receiving a time violation in the final-set tiebreaker. A visibly frustrated Tiafoe was horrified to receive it at such a crucial juncture of the match and argued with the chair umpire. Despite Tiafoe opposing it, the decision stood and he eventually went on to lose the match. After the encounter, an angered Tiafoe shouted ‘F**k you, f**k you’ at the chair umpire and refused to shake hands with him.

Owing to his actions, Tiafoe might face a massive fine, which could potentially be around $20,000. There have been many instances in the past where players have been punished with massive fines for verbal abuse. For example, during the 2022 Mexican Open, Alexander Zverev was handed a fine of $20,000 for verbal abuse and $20,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct. So it’s very much possible that Tiafoe might also face a similar sort of fine. However, no official statement has been made by the organizers yet.

The drama began after the chair umpire called out Tiafoe for time-wasting. Eventually, the American star was handed a time violation at 5-5 in the final-set tiebreaker due to which Tiafoe lost the first serve. Subsequently, he lost both points to go down against Safiullin. Shanghai hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for Tiafoe. After his second-round win over Zhou Yi of China, he had expressed how he felt to finally taste a victory in Shanghai, but it wasn’t meant to be a great campaign for the 26-year-old.

Frances Tiafoe hoped to end the year on a high after first win in Shanghai after years

Ahead of this year’s Shanghai Masters, Tiafoe hadn’t won a match there in six years. His last victory came way back in the 2017 edition when he reached the second round. However, the American star finally found some joy after defeating the local star, Zhou Yi, in the second round this time around.

Expressing satisfaction after finally winning in Shanghai, Tiafoe said, “I mean, well, we didn’t come here for four years, so that’s for one. Yeah, I’m just happy with it, honestly, nice carry on from the summer. Obviously last week was tough for all the Laver Cup guys, Tokyo, we were all fried. I got really sick. I’m just happy that I feel good again, and to have a good effort in Shanghai, man. I mean, Chinese love their tennis, and they follow us so well, so I just wanted to put a good performance for them. And, yeah, I mean, I have a shot at the end of the year to try to have a really successful end, and I would like to get as close as I can to the top 10, if not top 10.”

However, it wasn’t the end that Tiafoe was hoping for as he bowed out of the tournament in a controversial fashion in the third round. Nonetheless, Tiafoe will be nervously waiting for further actions on his outburst, as he is likely to face disciplinary action.