Jannik Sinner delivered a solid performance, taking down Alex de Minaur with a score of 6–3, 6–4 in the semi-finals of the Vienna Open. The win marked his second time reaching the final in his career, and his eighth final of the year, equaling a record last set by Djokovic 9 years ago. He took charge right from the start, getting the better of de Minaur and pulling ahead with a steady kind of intensity. He kept his serve strong and wrapped up the match with confidence, locking in his spot without needing to go to a nail-biting final set.

But the match definitely had its share of drama. According to a post by @alexiuss11 on X, Sinner was seen arguing with chair umpire Fergus Murphy after receiving a time-violation warning.

The Italian reportedly took a break from his serve since the crowd was pretty noisy, holding off until things quieted down before continuing. So, it seems like Murphy still handed him the violation, which sparked a pretty tense moment during the match. Jannik Sinner had a conversation with the umpire, clearly feeling frustrated. He thought the crowd’s chaos deserved a bit of understanding, and that he shouldn’t face any penalties since he was doing his best to handle the delay.

The video that was shared on social media showed him leaning in toward Murphy, gesturing, and speaking earnestly — a rare moment where he let his usual composure slip. It wasn’t a complete meltdown, but the situation highlighted how even the calmest players can get emotional over officiating calls.

But this isn’t the first time Murphy has found himself at the end of a player’s ire, especially with all the drama he’s had with players like Carlos Alcaraz and Nick Kyrgios. That’s right, before Jannik Sinner, it was his closest rival who had issues of his own with Murphy.

When harsher words were exchanged than Jannik Sinner’s confrontation

Carlos Alcaraz took down Taylor Fritz with a score of 6-4, 6-4 in the Japan Open final on September 30, 2025. This win marked his eighth title of the season! Even though Alcaraz won in straight sets, there was a bit of tension during the match when he had a confrontation with the chair umpire, Fergus Murphy.  Things got heated early in the second set.

Once Murphy wrapped up a point at the net, he promptly kicked off the 25-second shot clock, which resulted in a time violation for the Spanish player. Alcaraz got pretty frustrated with the quick pace and ended up having a heated exchange with Murphy during the changeover, shouting, “Do you think this is normal? You never played tennis in your life!”

The world No. 1 kept expressing his concerns, saying that when you finish points at the net, it takes more time to get back to the baseline, and that should definitely be considered when it comes to the shot clock rules. His opponent, Fritz even mentioned that he faced similar timing issues with Murphy at the Shanghai Masters last year. He said he “always had a problem, particularly with Fergus” since Murphy would start the clock pretty fast.

Murphy’s way of sticking to the rules has stirred up quite a few debates over the years. He’s had some pretty notable run-ins with Nick Kyrgios, who hasn’t held back in calling Murphy “the worst ref in the game” during their time in Cincinnati.