Rafael Jodar has apologised after receiving a code violation for lashing out at a ball kid during the Shanghai Masters. The No.12 seed was playing Botic van de Zandschulp on Wednesday when he blew break points on the Dutchman's serve and grew frustrated.
Unhappy with the amount of time it took the ball kids to deliver a towel, Jodar swore in Spanish, with chair umpire Jimmy Pinoargote picking up on it. The frustrated Spaniard muttered: “Give me the f***ing towel, d*** it,” in his native tongue. Pinoargote then gave him a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct, with Jodar pleading his case to no avail.
Jodar wins despite warning
It didn't seem to impact him too much, with the 20-year-old eventually winning 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2. It set up a quarter-final clash against Casper Ruud, which the young prodigy also won, this time defeating the Dane 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
In the aftermath of that win, Jodar spoke about the saga involving the ball kid. He remarked: "It was a mistake on my part. After the match, I reflected on it and realised that I shouldn't have treated the ball boy that way. I was wrong.
Jodar's apology
"I have tremendous respect for the ball boys and the chair umpires in every match and every tournament. I shouldn't have treated the ball boy in that manner. I was very frustrated with how the match was unfolding. It had been a very tight point and, honestly, it wasn't my intention to hurt the ball boy's feelings or anything like that. I was simply frustrated with myself. At that moment in the match, I wasn't able to control my emotions"
He added: "So yes, it was my mistake and I'm going to try to make sure it doesn't happen again, because that's not the right way to treat ball boys. I have tremendous respect for their work and I want to make it clear that I had nothing against him"
"After what I did, I should have accepted the warning I received, because it was completely justified and the chair umpire made the right decision."
