WATCH: Tennis Player Trolls Chair Umpire After Being Warned For “Lack Of Effort”

Published 01/08/2020, 10:45 AM EST

Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas was part of a bizarre episode in his ATP cup 2020 rubber against Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili.

Things got pretty tense on the court as Cuevas threatened to abandon the match in protest against an umpiring decision. In fact, he got very angry with the chair umpire.

However, better sense prevailed as he was convinced to continue by his Georgian counterpart. That did not end the episode. Cuevas had more tricks up his sleeve upon his return.

Article continues below this ad

Rafael Nadal Complaints About A Short Off Season Break

What Made Pablo Cuevas So Angry At ATP Cup 2020?

Cuevas was down 5-4 and 40-0. In a bizarre turn of events, the umpire decided to warn Cuevas for ‘lack of effort’. An enraged Cuevas decided to leave the match.

His team mates tried to convince him. However, he finally agreed to his opponent’s request and continued the match.

Pablo Cuevas got given a warning for a lack of effort, threatened to leave the court, was convinced to stay by Nikoloz Basilashvili, and then did some trolling. #ATPCup pic.twitter.com/AVsyF9xrSe
— The Tennis Podcast (@TennisPodcast) January 8, 2020

Upon his return, Cuevas decided to fulfill the wishes of the umpire and showed off his adrenaline rush. He assured the umpire that he was playing the game with “more attitude than ever” and that he was putting “more desire than any other party.”

The Urugvayan jumped vigorously on the court and ran around to receive the serve.

Not The First Dramatic Incidence At ATP Cup 2020

The ATP cup 2020 has not been without its share of dramas. Amidst some good tennis, players have found themselves unable to keep their emotions in check.

Alexander Zverev had a breakown on the court as he hit one double fault after another. While fellow young gun Stefanos Tsitsipas hit his father with his racquet as he was being defeated by an inspired Nick Kyrgios.

Even the Serbian great Novak Djokovic faced problems with his temper. In his bout against Kevin Anderson, the Serb got frustrated with the fans of his own country for distracting him.

Article continues below this ad

How Did The Tie Play Out?

Cuevas was defeated by Basilashvili by a margin of 6-4. 1-6, 6-4.

Uruguay also suffered a defeat at the hands of Georgia to end a below average ATP cup for the South American team.

Article continues below this ad

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Aryan Sharma is a WWE and Tennis author and editor at EssentiallySports. Being a journalism graduate from Delhi University, he combines his love for creating content with an astute knowledge of almost three eras of professional wrestling. He's also a Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova fan and likes to write on the social impact of these two legends beyond their achievements on the tennis court.