New Delhi: A normal second-round match between Reilly Opelka and Cameron Norrie at the Dallas Open became the centre of attention in the tournament when chair umpire Greg Allensworth stepped in at a crucial moment. Both were competing on the Grandstand and divided the first two sets. Opelka was leading by a break in the third set and attempting to serve for the match.
But at 30-30, he stopped mid-serve to talk to a fan and asked him if he was coughing on purpose while also asking him multiple times to go out. After the incident, the chair umpire announced a code violation, penalizing Opelka and giving Norrie a point. He then argued with the umpire, but eventually won the match by 4-6,7-6 and 6-4.
Reilly Opelka was being heckled by a fan when serving out for the match last night, Opelka swore back at the fan and was then unbelievably given a code violation by the umpire. 👀pic.twitter.com/OeYCc1FoAD
— Pavvy G (@pavyg) February 7, 2025
After the match, he criticised the umpire and said that he’s really bad and almost changed the outcome of that match just because he didn’t know what he was doing. Opelka further added that the umpire got very tense and frantic and couldn’t give him an answer.
“He didn’t do his job, so I had to tell him, ‘Get out of here’. The guy was being pretty quite rude. It shouldn’t be one-sided traffic. If you want to be disrespectful to me, I can’t just be a punching bag. If the ref isn’t doing his job, then he penalises me – not a good look” Opelka added.
ATP to review Opelka’s post-match comments
The ATP in a statement said that it will review Opelka’s post-match comments as a part of its standard disciplinary process.
“Audible obscenities directed at members of the public constitute a clear violation of ATP rules. In such instances, the chair umpire has a responsibility to take appropriate action, regardless of the match score. The ATP will review Mr. Opelka’s post-match comments as part of its standard disciplinary process” the tour said in its statement.
Tommy Paul knocked out Opelka by 7-6(3), 6-2 in the quarterfinals and qualified for the semi-final of the tournament.
Reilly Opelka faces potential discipline for his post-match comments about a chair umpire he called the “worst ump on tour”. Tennis Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
