Frustrations can boil over in the aftermath of a nasty loss. Frances Tiafoe is one to confirm that. The American star was embroiled in a heated disagreement with the chair umpire at the Shanghai Masters. With no moves left in the playbook and tensions rising, Tiafoe’s on-court antics took a steep turn and shocked fans. However, the 26-year-old has taken major strides to rectify his misdemeanor.

Tiafoe locked horns with Roman Safiullin in the second round of the ATP 1000 Masters event. The American player was off to a triumphant start, bagging the opening set 7-5. But that wasn’t enough to hold off the Russian sensation, who flipped the tables on Tiafoe and forced a decider between the duo. In the final and decisive set, things went right down to the wire. Notably, when tied 5-5 in the tiebreaker, the two-time US Open finalist got slapped with a time violation by chair umpire, Jimmy Pinoargote.

Angered after his first serve was docked, Tiafoe lost his momentum, and two points later, shook hands with Safiullin to congratulate him on the win. This, in turn, prompted the American star to target Pinoargote in a minute-long tirade, verbally abusing the chair umpire and dropping three consecutive F-bombs in the process. “F–k you, man! F–k you! Seriously, man. You fucked me out of the fucking match.” As a result, the former World No. 10 could face fines of up to $60,000 and likely sanctions for using obscenities. However, Tiafoe didn’t sideline the severity of his outburst.

In an Instagram story, the 26-year-old posted a heartfelt admission apologizing to all aggrieved parties and vowed to improve his condemned act. “I apologize for the way I acted tonight. That is not who I am and not how I ever want to treat people. I let my frustration in the heat of the moment get the best of me and I’m extremely disappointed with how I handled the situation. That’s not acceptable behavior and I want to apologize to the umpire, the tournament, and the fans. I’ll be better for all.”

Regardless, Tiafoe wasn’t all grumpy before his contest against his Russian rival. Notably, the American player did his best to tune in for compatriot Tommy Paul’s grueling second-round encounter in Shanghai.

Frances Tiafoe congratulates countryman Tommy Paul on a thrilling three-set victory

American star Frances Tiafoe was the victim of his second-round competitor’s comeback at the Shanghai Masters. The 26-year-old arrived at the event on the back of a premature exit at the Japan Open. Despite his Asian hardcourt swing being washed out, Tiafoe took time to acknowledge compatriot Tommy Paul’s nerve-racking encounter in China.

In a post-match presser, the World No. 17 highlighted hitting up Paul after the latter registered a comeback victory in his second-round contest against Alejandro Tabilo. “Braveheart. I messaged him this morning, Braveheart, man. I saw I was watching, he lost the first, he wasn’t playing that great, a little flat.”

As for Tiafoe, he will likely look to improve his mental toughness in hopes of avoiding another controversy. The American will next take to the courts at the ATP Finals, where he will vie to conclude the season on a positive note.