Rising Spanish star Rafael Jodar was warned for unsportsmanlike conduct after shouting an expletive at a ball boy in the fourth round of the Shanghai Masters on Wednesday.
The 20-year-old Spaniard was trailing Botic van de Zandschulp after losing out in the first set on a tie-break when he lashed out at the ballboy and used the expletive in Spanish
Jodar was then swiftly handed a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct which is a violation of the ATP rulebook, by the Ecuadoran chair umpire Jimmy Pinoargote.
The two had a brief dialogue in Spanish as Jodar proceeded to complain to the chair umpire that his request to the ball boy for a towel was dealt with ignorance.
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Pinoargote responded that he understood the matter at hand but insisted that he could not excuse Jodar’s language.
Jodar then went on to beat van de Zandschulp 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-2. The world number 13 is having a breakout season after initially starting at 168.
He is now set to face Casper Ruud in the Shanghai quarterfinals after the Norwegian advanced when Felix Auger-Aliassime retired injured from their fourth-round match.
(With inputs from AFP)
Published on Oct 14, 2026
