Frances Tiafoe faced a moment of controversy in Shanghai. More than his disappointing exit from the Asian Swing, his behavior on the court became a topic of discussion. While Tiafoe apologized, his attitude left some supporters concerned. At this moment, a veteran coach stepped forward to support Tiafoe and explained why he deserves a second chance.

Wawrinka’s coach, Magnus Norman, shared a supportive message for Frances Tiafoe. Tiafoe experienced an unprecedented incident during his Shanghai Masters run, where he had a heated exchange with chair umpire Jimmy Pinoargote and used some expletives against him. Tiafoe was given a time violation after the first set’s tiebreaker, which left the player disappointed, and his reaction surprised many. However, Tiafoe issued an apology, acknowledging that his behavior was out of line. Now, Stan Wawrinka’s coach has come forward to express his support for Tiafoe.

“Respect from Francis to apologize for his outburst in the heat of the battle. Most of us have said things we can regret and surely we all have done mistakes in our lives. Not everyone can say sorry. Its a gift and it shows class,” tweeted coach Magnus Norman. His words highlighted Tiafoe’s good gesture of taking responsibility for his actions, subtly suggesting that he should be spared further criticism.

On the other hand, Tiafoe was polite in his apology. He confirmed being a different personality than his actions that day. “I really 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 y’all,” Tiafoe wrote.

While Tiafoe reassured the tennis community with his apology, the incident between him and the chair umpire generated significant attention. Despite Norman’s statement, let’s take a closer look at what happened between Tiafoe and Pinoargote.

Why did Frances Tiafoe get mad at the chair umpire?

Tiafoe was playing his match against Roman Safiullin in the Shanghai Masters. The World No. 17 was serving during the decisive tiebreaker at 5-5 when the chair umpire ruled a time violation, believing Tiafoe wasn’t making a genuine attempt to serve, despite him tossing the ball in the air. Tiafoe protested, but the chair umpire enforced the penalty, stating, “I am not buying it, this is now second serve. Dude, that’s the rule.” Tiafoe responded, “No, no, I tossed the ball up. … I was ready to serve.”

After two points when the match was over, Tiafoe congratulated his opponent but lashed out at the chair umpire. “F— you, man! F— you! Seriously, man. F— you! You f—ed me out of the f—ing match!”  he said to the umpire afterward.

Frances Tiafoe’s apology confirmed that he wasn’t proud of his actions that day. Now that Wawrinka’s coach has offered him support, it seems Tiafoe deserves a second chance to move forward with a renewed commitment to improving in future matches.