DALLAS (AP) — The ATP released a statement on Friday indicating that Reilly Opelka could potentially face disciplinary action for remarks he made about a chair umpire following a recent match. Opelka, a 27-year-old American, referred to the umpire as the “worst ump on tour” after receiving a point penalty while serving for the match against Cameron Norrie at the Dallas Open on Thursday night. Despite the penalty, Opelka managed to secure a victory with a final score of 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4.
Opelka’s frustration stemmed from being penalized for using profanity towards a member of the audience whom he claimed was deliberately disrupting his serve. The ATP pointed out that verbal outbursts directed at spectators are a clear violation of their rules, and it is the umpire’s duty to intervene, regardless of the match situation. The ATP has announced its intention to assess Opelka’s post-match comments as part of its standard disciplinary procedures.
Following the match, Opelka openly criticized umpire Greg Allensworth, accusing him of failing to address the disruptive behavior of the fan. Opelka expressed his dissatisfaction, stating, “He’s real bad. Almost changed the outcome of that match just because he doesn’t really know what he’s doing. And he got emotional when we were arguing… He didn’t tell (the fan) to shut up? He was doing it for, like, three points. He didn’t do his job, so I had to tell him, ‘Get out of here.’”
The incident at the Dallas Open has raised concerns within the tennis community, prompting the ATP to review Opelka’s conduct and the umpire’s actions during the match. For more tennis news and updates, visit the AP tennis page at https://apnews.com/hub/tennis.
