Bosnian tennis star Damir Dzumhur’s mid-match pullout at the qualifiers for the ATP event in Acapulco, Mexico, has come at a big price.
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Currently ranked 125th in singles, the Bosnian stormed off the court after a fracas with the chair umpire over a disputed point during his clash with Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp on Monday.
Damir Dzumhur will lose $6,500 in fine and $5,280 in prize money, rules ATP
Tournament officials determined that he had defaulted the match, as per rules stipulated by the ATP.
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However, the 28-year-old Dzumhur claimed he wasn’t disqualified before storming off the court.
Damir Dzumhur's default in Acapulco will cost him a lot of money : a $6,500 fine and loss of prize money of $5,280. "Following the penalties issued on-site, a further investigation will be initiated under the Player Major Offense provision under ATP Rules", ATP confirms. pic.twitter.com/MMioV8CXWR
— Tennis Majors (@Tennis_Majors) March 16, 2021
His act, as expected, has attracted a hefty penalty – a $6,500 fine and loss of prize money worth $5,280.
The ATP released a statement on the quantum of his penalty saying, “Following the penalties issued on-site, a further investigation will be initiated under the Player Major Offense provision under ATP rules”.
Damir Dzumhur denies reports of threatening to harm the chair umpire
At 5-5, 40-40 in the opening set of his qualifying clash, Dzumhur raged at the chair umpire after a shot by his Dutch opponent was called ‘in’.
As he protested the line call, he was given a point penalty.
Furious after dropping the game on serve, he was involved in a war of words with the umpire before deciding to walk off the court.
Accusing the umpire of a deliberate attempt to influence the outcome of the game, the Bosnian told Tennis Channel, “The umpire directly influenced the match with his bad calls…I ‘m really sorry that I was not able to control my emotions because I let someone to affect me so much”.
He also denied some reports that he threatened to physically harm the umpire.
However, he did admit to telling the supervisor that he “felt the need to hit the umpire” because of what he had done, adding that the latter replied that it “wasn’t such a great idea”.
Read More: “Left the Field Voluntarily”: Damir Dzhumhur Clarifies Disqualification Rumors at Mexican Open 2021
While conceding that his conduct was far from ideal, Dzumhur claimed that it was the umpire’s biased calls that provoked him into an outburst.
