A tennis player lost his temper and repeatedly smashed his racket while delivering an angry, expletive-laden rant after a tough tie-break loss.
Tristan Boyer became enraged over umpire decisions during a tense defeat to Alex Bolt, who is the boyfriend of British tennis player Katie Swan.
American player Boyer, 23, was defeated 3-6, 6-7 by the Australian in the first round of the San Diego Open.
Bolt’s partner, 25-year-old Swan, previously joked last summer that “Wag life is stressful” after watching him overcome match point to qualify for Wimbledon.
Swan might have experienced another wave of anxiety if she witnessed the dramatic conclusion of his match against Boyer.
The initial incident occurred when the Californian was one set down and the score was tied at 4-4 in the crucial tie-break.
As Boyer bounced the ball in preparation to serve, chair umpire Nick Flentie issued him a time violation.
Following this, Boyer served, only to have Flentie controversially call his subsequent groundstroke as long.
Boyer seemed frustrated with both calls but initially restrained himself, though only momentarily.
When he then hit the ball into the net on match point soon after, he fully expressed his true feelings.
He shouted loudly and slammed his racket into the ground repeatedly.
Boyer left the mangled racket near the baseline before approaching the net to shake hands with Bolt and then directing his complaints at Flentie.
He exclaimed: “Unbelievable. It’s ridiculous. You guys can’t get anything right.
“God, it p***es me off. God, it’s frustrating.
“Horrendous calls everywhere. Absolutely horrendous calls.”
Boyer then protested the time violation he received.
Waving his arms wildly, he argued: “Why are you giving me a time violation?
“There are only three people here. Just three people watching me! Three people.
“It’s the first round, this is ridiculous. We’re not on TV, nobody’s watching, nobody is streaming this. You’re ridiculous.”
Flentie calmly responded, “We see it differently.”
“We’re not going to bend the rules.”
This response did not appease Boyer.
The player continued his verbal attack as he left the court.
In a final act of frustration, he picked up his racket and smashed it once more on the ground.
Meanwhile, Bolt remained uninvolved in the drama.
Tennis fans were charmed last year by the affectionate messages exchanged on Instagram between the two-time Australian Open men’s doubles quarter-finalist and Swan.
The couple has also shared touching photos together, including an embrace after an emotional Bolt qualified for Wimbledon.
