Serbian tennis superstar Novak Djokovic let the tension of his rain-delayed French Open semi-final with Dominic Thiem get the better of him as he was handed a code violation following a row with umpire Jaume Campistol.
Djokovic received a warning from the umpire for taking too long to serve during the second set of his semi-final clash at Roland Garros.
The rules of play state that when the umpire announces the score, a 25-second clock counts down, within which time the serving player must restart play.
The warning clearly irritated Djokovic, who asked Campistol not to read out the scores so swiftly at the conclusion of rallies.
And, during the changeover, the world number one became embroiled in an angry conversation with the man in the chair.
"Can you tell me why you keep calling the score one second after the point is finished?" he asked.
"It is the standard procedure Novak. The rule is 25 seconds," replied the umpire.
It prompted Djokovic to question the umpire's credentials as he asked him "Have you ever played tennis?"
After the official responded in the affirmative, Djokovic replied: "You’ve played tennis, right. So you know how it is in this situation. 5-6, long point, crowd still clapping. You know how it is, right. OK, great.
"Well done man. Well done. You made yourself a name. You made yourself recognizable. You will get all the credit after this."
It led to Campistol handing Djokovic a code violation for unsportsmanlike behavior.
ITV pundit and two-time French Open champion Jim Courier said he sympathized a little with Djokovic.
"Most umpires do wait until the applause dies down before they call the score and then start the clock," he said.
"I’m not a chair umpire. I don’t know what the rules and regulations are.
"My understanding is that it is completely within their discretion as to when they call the score.
"What Novak is arguing is that ‘you are not applying the rules the same way other chair umpires do and this is an intense moment of the match and I need more time’.
"That’s an understandable position for him to take."
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