STEFANOS TSITSIPAS was branded a “cry baby” for refusing to play and then telling the umpire: “I hope you get fired.”
Tsitsipas, 26, faced old nemesis Daniil Medvedev in the last 16 at the Shanghai Masters.
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Stefanos Tsitsipas got into a blazing row with the umpireCredit: AP
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He sat in his seat and refused to continue until the supervisor came onCredit: Tennis TV via X formerly Twitter
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Tsitsipas had a first serve taken off him for a time violationCredit: Reuters
But after they put their differences aside to pose for a pre-match photo – prompting audible gasps from the crowd – the Greek star lost his rag with a spectacular meltdown.
Tsitsipas dropped the first set on a tie-break and was serving with a break early in the second when his frustrations boiled over.
Chair umpire Fergus Murphy called Tsitsipas up for a time violation because the 25-second shot clock expired and docked the two-time Grand Slam finalist of his first serve.
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But the player was furious and stormed towards Murphy to remonstrate and make his feelings clear.
Tsitsipas said: “I’m being so reasonable. Why are you doing this to me man?
“I’m the best about this on tour, the most consistent player about this on tour.”
Murphy replied: “The clock starts automatically, just listen. It might help if you listen.
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“The clock starts automatically so you really have to watch the clock. I have no control over that.”
But Tsitsipas hit back: “Why are you guys against me so much? The last few months have been terrible. I don’t understand what’s gotten into you.”
Murphy refuted the accusations: “That’s not a correct statement. I’m not against you or anybody.”
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Watch astonishing moment Frances Tiafoe yells ‘F— YOU’ five times at umpire as he walks off court after loss
Tsitsipas asked: “Are you sure? There are some out there who are much worse than me.”
Murphy then added: “Well maybe if you watch more matches, I’m sure they get time violations.
“The best thing to do is talk about this match. On that serve you were too slow.
“You need to watch the clock. You have to keep watching the clock and keep up.”
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Tsitsipas reluctantly returned to the baseline for his second serve – which he missed to double fault.
He then dropped his serve as Medvedev levelled the set at 2-2.
But before the Russian could begin the next game, Tsitsipas unleashed another petulant protest – walking back to his chair and sitting down to demand the supervisor.
Tsitsipas moaned: “I need to talk to them, we need to have a conversation about the time.
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“My issue is the double fault you just took away from me. That’s the issue. Have you never played tennis in your life? You have no clue about tennis it seems like.”
Murphy said: “I have. I’m not as good as you are, but I’ve played.”
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Tsitsipas then bizarrely ranted: “Definitely you have no cardio. You probably serve and volley all the time.
“Tennis is a physical sport. We need time over there. Show some compassion. We aren’t throwing darts out here.
“If it’s going to be unfair, I need the supervisor, I need to clarify the time violation you just gave me.
“Can I talk to him? You seem like you have no idea what you’re doing so I need to talk to him.
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“If you’re going to gift a game like this to my opponent, I need the supervisor. If you’re going to gift a serve to my opponent.”
Murphy insisted he was following the rules correctly and the crowd started booing when Tsitsipas continued to refuse to play.
When the supervisor eventually came on, he stood by Murphy but the world No12 vented: “Let’s discuss, let’s talk. Well, your guy here decided to give me a time violation for something completely unreasonable after having to play so many rallies.
“He probably never felt how it is being out here in 40 degrees playing tennis.
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“And he decided to give me a time violation before a big point which has happened with one of your Spanish guys previously in Cincinnati.
“Also another I don’t know, random guy that you decided to put on the chair out there. How can he do that? How can he do that at such a crucial moment?”
The supervisor simply responded: “Since Roland Garros you know that we’ve had a change in the procedures and the clock starts automatically.”
Tsitsipas finally trudged back to the back of the court to return serve.
He was then broken again at 4-3 before Medvedev served out for a 7-6 6-3 victory – setting up a quarter-final clash with world No1 Jannik Sinner.
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Tsitsipas did shake hands with Murphy at the end of the match but as he was heading off court, he muttered a final jab: “I hope you get fired. I really wish it.”
Tennis fans piled in on Tsitsipas for his pathetic behaviour towards the officials.
One said: “Tsitsipas is 100 per cent wrong. He is a cry baby.”
Another wrote: “Biggest cry baby on tour.”
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A third added: “You can’t make this up. Says the umpire should be fired and also says he needs to shown compassion. He needs to grow up, fast.”
And a final user commented: “Pathetic stuff from Tsitsipas.”
THE absence of line judges at Wimbledon will be a sad sight.
For as long as I can remember, the men and women decked out in their Ralph Lauren outfits have been part of the furniture at the All England Club.
Yes, they provided some mild entertainment on the court when one would call “fault” with plenty of extra, and unnecessary, gusto and volume that boomed around Centre Court, prompting a snigger from the fans.
Then there was the ongoing game of dodgeball they had to play when a big serve nailed a mammoth ace down the line and they had to take rapid evasive action or take a whack to the top of the head.
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And challenges provided some audience participation, excitedly joining in the clapping countdown before the inevitable “oooh” when the graphic showed just how close the ball was to landing in or out.
Purely objectively, Wimbledon’s decision to replace line judges with Hawk-Eye Live makes total sense.
The accuracy and consistency of calls in real-time will speed things up, save time and should mark the end of arguments over the tight incorrect calls – well, until the technology malfunctions.
And Wimbledon’s hand was somewhat forced to ditch tradition for their standing in tennis.
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The Australian Open and US Open already use electronic line calling and the ATP Tour is adopting Hawk-Eye Live across all of its tournaments from 2025.
Wimbledon’s refusal to comply would leave them lagging behind and exposed to the threat of needless controversy over human error.
But the impact – as is so often the case in these decisions – has ramifications further down, below the surface with very little impact on Wimbledon’s Championships or the players.
It is on the line judges themselves.
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Approximately 300 officials – aged from 18 to 80 – covered more than 650 matches at Wimbledon.
A fraction travel internationally with the circuit but the vast majority of those are part-time line judges based in the UK, earning up to £180 per day to work at the prestigious tournament and their chance to play their part at Wimbledon.
For many, they will help out at British tournaments throughout the year, spurred on by the possibility of taking to the lawns of the All England Club.
But it is understood many of those officials would be reluctant to work at the lower-level tournaments without the carrot of Wimbledon dangling in the summer.
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That in turn will put a major stumbling block in the pathway for British tennis umpires, who grind up through the ranks to reach the pinnacle of the sport.
Like football with referees, tennis needs umpires and line judges.
So the inability to call “out” at Wimbledon could prove to be a major “fault” for the future of the UK’s tennis officials and therefore the state of the sport on these shores.
According to The Athletic, the goalkeeper “never received the traditional cap to commemorate his international debut” in 2006.
He had also turned down the Champions League medal because he “didn’t feel part of it, sidelined by a back operation and unable to see a future under Rafael Benitez.”
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Kirkland didn’t receive a Champions League winners medalCredit: AFP
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Scott Carson, who was on the bench in Instanbul, offered to give Kirkland his own medalCredit: Getty
Kirkland’s dad famously landed a 100/1 bet he’d placed while his son was a teenager on him playing for England.
Speaking to the outlet, Kirkland laughed: “If I’d gone into the bookies’ with my dad, and they’d seen me, I’m sure he would have got a lot better odds than 100/1.
Following the event, Pereira and Vakhitov ran into each other backstage and chatted through translators.
“To be honest, I’m very happy see you winning,” Vakhitov told Pereira. “I love what’s happening with you right now over here. So just keep doing it, keep winning, I’ll be watching this. I’ll be focused on myself. Hopefully after a few more defenses, it will happen so that we’ll meet each other again.”
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(Video courtesy of Vakhitov’s manager Andrey Busygin)
While both fighters were competing in GLORY, Pereira defeated Vakhitov by split decision in their first encounter before the Russian got his revenge with a majority decision in the rematch. That fight served as Pereira’s final appearance in GLORY before signing with the UFC where he’s gone on to become a two-division champion in short order.
After Vakhitov decided to make a full-time transition to MMA, he exchanged more than a few messages with Pereira through interviews and over social media.
No matter what was said, Vakhitov promised it was never anything personal but just about business.
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“Nothing but respect,” Vakhitov said. “All love and it’s just sports. That’s all it is.”
The fighters shook hands and shared a hug, with Pereira giving Vakhitov a few parting words with a laugh between everybody involved after he gave his former opponent the extra nod he needed to get into the UFC.
“You owe me one,” Pereira said.
Vakhitov joins the UFC with a 3-1 record in his MMA career with all of his wins coming by first-round knockout.
With captain Seamus Coleman sidelined, Nathan Collins will continue to stand in as skipper.
The Brentford defender took the armband for the closing stages of the England game after Coleman limped off before and retained captaincy duties against Greece.
“I probably didn’t take in the moment as much as I should have, but that’s just the way I am,” Collins, 23, said of deputising for Coleman last month.
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“My family did – I think they were crying in the stand. Honestly, it means a lot to me and my family.”
Collins, who has started all seven of Brentford’s Premier League games this season, added: “I think in this camp, it’s really easy being a captain of this team as there are so many leaders. I could go through this team and you could name six or seven boys who would help me out, chip in, talk, motivate, and it makes my job easier.
“We’re missing a few of the older boys, past leaders, and it is time for boys to step up and time for us to start showing our leadership.”
South Africa batters Laura Wolvaardt, Tazmin Brits and Marizanne Kapp guide their side to the highest score of the tournament so far to eliminate Scotland from the Women’s T20 World Cup.
Poirier knows he doesn’t have too many fights left in him but would be all in for a four-man BMF tournament between him, Gaethje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC), Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC), and Dan Hooker (24-12 MMA, 14-8 UFC). Poirier has history with all three fighters, going 1-1 with Gaethje, and defeating both Holloway and Hooker.
“That excites me because that kind of stuff is for the dogs, man,” Poirier told MMA Today. “That’s like the old PRIDE days or grand prixs, you know? That’s a real BMF. If you can fight in a tournament in one night, multiple opponents, I mean, dude, that’s kind of the definition of a BMF.”
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White, who’s instantly shot down other tournaments before, had a positive reaction when asked about Poirier’s idea.
“Sounds fun,” White said during a Dana White’s Contender Series 75 post-fight news conference at the UFC Apex. “Never thought about it, but yeah, I love it.”
A tournament would also excite Hooker, who responded on “X.”
As for BMF champion Holloway, he will look to add another belt when he challenges featherweight champion Ilia Topuria in the UFC 308 main event Oct. 26 in Abu Dhabi.
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
JURGEN Klopp stunned football when he announced a return to the game just months after leaving Liverpool.
Less than a year since Anfield hero Klopp said he was “running out of energy” when he confirmed his departure from the Merseysiders, he was appointed as “head of global football” at the Red Bull group.
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Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been named as Red Bull’s global head of footballCredit: PA
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The 57-year-old released a statement on social media after a fan backlashCredit: Instagram @kloppo
Red Bull have six clubs in their stable including Leipzig, Salzburg and now Leeds.
Dortmund, like Liverpool, are very much a fans’ club, part of the heartbeat of their city.
RB Leipzig, the flagship of the Red Bull stable, were only founded in 2009 when the drinks company purchased the playing rights of a fifth-tier side in the East German city.
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Yet in unveiling Klopp as their new figurehead, with a role to help with the group’s “strategic vision” and global scouting operation as well as training and developing coaches, Red Bull have potentially risked compromising their star signing’s reputation.
The shock announcement of a five-year deal – with conflicting reports over whether there was a get-out clause if the German national team came calling – came out of the blue.
While Klopp, who will start his new role on January 1, said the opportunity “could not excite me more”, as far as many fans, especially in Dortmund were concerned, the news could not have angered them less.
Some denounced Klopp as a “traitor” and a “hypocrite”, with consternation among Liverpool supporters who had expected he would be out of football for at least a year.
And the scale of the reaction saw the German, 57, break his holiday to post a video message in which he tried to explain: “A few months ago I said that I don’t see myself on the sidelines anymore and that is still the case.
“But I still love football and I still love working. Red Bull gives me the perfect platform for that.
Jurgen Klopp bids emotional farewell to Anfield on final day as drops huge hint he might RETIRE after leaving Liverpool
“I want to share my experience which I collected over the years and we all know there are much more successful managers out there.
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“In my career, I fought for promotion, I fought against relegation, I’ve fought for titles, I’ve fought for trophies.
“Sometimes we failed, sometimes we succeeded and dealing with that is not easy. But it’s possible.
“Now I have time and I have the opportunity. I want to see and feel and figure out what is useful in football.
“So developing football a little bit as well. Really looking forward to it but now I go back on holiday. See you in January.”
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Klopp has botched his Liverpool exit… and it’s cost him his legacy, says Dave Kidd
By Dave Kidd
NOW we know Jurgen Klopp’s final major trophy haul at Liverpool — one Champions League, one Premier League, one FA Cup, two League Cups and (if you must) a World Club Cup.
But where does his reign stand among the greatest of the Premier League era?
In black-and-white terms, Klopp is way behind Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola, the only two men to have won multiple Premier Leagues and a Champions League at the same club.
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Those two sit alongside Brian Clough, Bob Paisley and Sir Matt Busby as the undoubted all-time managerial greats of the English game.
But Klopp ranks in the next tier down — with Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho (the Chelsea version), Bill Shankly and Don Revie.
These were all men with the strength of character to transform their clubs in their own image and enjoy success but who did not win as much as they might have done.
Had Klopp managed to keep his intentions under wraps and ended up with another title, perhaps even a treble or quadruple, he’d have edged himself up into that highest echelon with Ferguson, Guardiola, Clough, Paisley and Busby.
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But deciding the timing and the manner of your exit is one of the toughest calls for any manager or sportsman.
Klopp got it wrong.
Read Dave Kidd’s take on Klopp’s demise in full here.
Or click here to check out all of Dave Kidd’s articles.
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Klopp’s move was evidently no shock to Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke, who said: “It’s not a surprise to me because I talked about it with him personally. I wish Jurgen luck in his new job.”
And it was unquestionably a coup for Red Bull, whose boss Oliver Mintzlaff said: “We are very proud of this outstanding and certainly the strongest signing in Red Bull’s football history.
“Jurgen Klopp is one of the greatest and most influential figures in world football, with extraordinary skills and charisma.
“He will be a game changer for our involvement in international football and its continued development.”
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