The 2025 Wimbledon Championships has started on a disastrous footing for American tennis players. Stars like Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff have already bowed out of the tournament. As if this wasn’t enough, there is some bad news on the men’s side as well for the American tennis fans. Frances Tiafoe is currently playing in his men’s singles second-round match against Cameron Norrie. Despite making a positive start and winning the first set, Tiafoe lost the following three sets (6‑4, 6‑3, 7‑5) amid a shocking display on Court 1, which can be followed through EssentiallySports’ Live Blog. To add to this, his unsportsmanlike behavior got him into trouble during the match. This didn’t go down well with the fans, who called out Tiafoe for his display against Norrie.

Toward the latter half of the third set, Tiafoe tried breaking his opponent’s momentum by delaying the points. However, his antics went unnoticed by the umpires, and fans weren’t happy with the pace of the game. Moreover, this isn’t the first time that Tiafoe has been seen utilizing time-wasting tactics on the court. Last year, during the Shanghai Masters, he had an argument with the chair umpire after being penalized for time-wasting. Thus, fans didn’t spare him on this occasion and criticized him on social media.

Fans lash out at Frances Tiafoe for poor conduct at Wimbledon

Tiafoe committed several unforced errors and gifted the two sets on Norrie’s plate despite the momentum being on his side. With such an inconsistent display and not playing in the right spirit, one of the fans lashed out at him, saying, “Tiafoe running down the shot clock every point. Umpire doing nothing.” The fan was disappointed to see such amazing talent go to waste at a platform like Wimbledon.

Similarly, another fan called out Tiafoe’s act and urged the umpire to take strict action. “Absolutely disgraceful. Tiafoe v. Norrie. Should not be allowed,” the fan said, as he was tired of watching the time-wasting tactics by Tiafoe.

Further, another fan recollected Tiafoe’s match against Fritz at the 2024 US Open. In their semifinal encounter, Tiafoe was leading two sets to one before losing the momentum and going down in five sets. “Frances Tiafoe blew it at the 2024 US Open against Taylor Fritz, his one golden opportunity. He will never ever ever win a major,” the fan wrote, making a massive prediction about the American star as he is set to hit rock bottom at Wimbledon.

Meanwhile, another fan wanted Tiafoe to be handed a harsh penalty for his actions. The fan wrote, “Yes before Tiafoe took an extended break for a change of clothes, lunch and a walk to souvenir shop. Utterly poor sportsmanship. Should have gone straight away not after 3 mins,” asking for his dismissal even before the match ended. Lastly, one of the fans compared Tiafoe’s situation with that of Sinner and Alcaraz. During the recently concluded French Open final, both Alcaraz and Sinner didn’t take any toilet breaks in their five-set encounter, whereas Tiafoe had to take one in just three sets. Thus, a fan said, “toilet breaks are now getting downright silly. Sinner and Alcaraz did not take one in the five set final of the French, Tiafoe taking ages to even get off court,” criticizing Tiafoe for his frustrating tactics.

With things not going Tiafoe’s way at the moment, such tactics will only leave him in a bad light. Thus, he should refrain from such mind games and instead focus on his game on the court, not off it.