Vasek Pospisil's on-court tirade punctuates loss at Miami Open
Canadian tennis player says ATP president berated him for 90 minutes previous day
Canadian Vasek Pospisil apologized for his on-court conduct and a profanity-laced rant aimed at ATP Tour chief Andrea Gaudenzi during his first-round loss to American Mackenzie McDonald at the Miami Open on Wednesday.
The tantrum, which included angrily hitting a ball out of the court and shouting at the chair umpire, began when the world number 67 smashed his racket on the court late in the first set of his 6-3 4-6 6-3 defeat.
A verbal abuse penalty on set point then cost him the first set and Pospisil launched into an expletive-laden tirade against Gaudenzi, who he said had been "screaming" at him in a meeting on Tuesday for "trying to unite the players."
"For an hour and a half. The leader of the ATP. Get him out here. Why am I supporting this?" he said to chair umpire Arnaud Gabas, threatening to sue the ATP if he was defaulted.
WATCH | Pospisil smashes racket during loss at Miami Open:
Pospisil's issues with the ATP came to a head last year when he and world number one Novak Djokovic announced the formation of the breakaway Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA).
The PTPA was aimed at better protecting the interests of players, they said, but the move met opposition from tennis governing bodies.
Pospisil said his meeting with the ATP had "unnerved" him.
WATCH | Pospisil ousted by Mackenzie McDonald:
"I want to sincerely apologize for my behavior on the court in Miami earlier today," Pospisil, who did not speak to the media after his match, said on Twitter.
"I disrespected the game I love and for that I am truly sorry. "By way of explanation, I felt deeply unnerved during a meeting between players and ATP executives last night, and I underestimated the toll those emotions took on me until I stepped onto the court today. "Again, I am sorry for my on-court behavior and the language I used."
The ATP Tour did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Roundup
In women's play, American Sloane Stephens earned her first victory of the year by rallying past qualifier Oceane Dodin of 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-2.
Stephens, who won the tournament in 2018, had been 0-4 previously this year and hadn't won a match since the French Open in September. Against Dodin, Stephens fell behind after she failed to convert two sets in the opening set, but she pulled away in the final set.
Stephens, ranked 49th, is among six former champions in the women's draw.
Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain overcame two match points and a 5-1 deficit in the final set to overtake Bernarda Pera 6-2, 2-6, 7-5. American Danielle Collins swept Kristina Mladenovic 6-3, 6-3, and Jelena Ostapenko defeated Xiyu Wang 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-1.
On the first day of men's play, Alexei Popyrin built on his recent momentum by beating Feliciano Lopez 6-4, 7-6 (4). Popyrin, a 21-year-old Australian who won his first ATP Tour title late last month in Singapore, will next play big-serving American Reilly Opelka, who is seeded 30th.
Lopez, 39, was the oldest player in the men's draw.
Pierre-Hugues Herbert of France, runner-up at the recent Open 13 in Marseille, France, beat Pedro Sousa 6-1, 6-3. Herbert will next face No. 11-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada.
With files from The Associated Press and CBC Sports
