Frances Tiafoe was forced to battle more than just his Italian opponent, Lorenzo Musetti, during their third-round clash at the 2023 Italian Open in Rome.
Adding to the tension of the match was a relentless downpour, which is troubling the ATP 1000 event in Rome. that began late in the second set and continued to pelt the court, leading to a fiery exchange of words between Tiafoe, chair umpire Jaume Campistol, and match supervisor Ali Nili.
The match was precariously balanced when the heavens opened up. The American's fans and team expected a pause after the rain starting falling, but to their and Tiafoe's chagrin, the game continued.
Amid the increasing rainfall, Tiafoe's displeasure was evident. Under the radiant yet unforgiving court lights, the chair umpire tried to calm him, stating: "Frances, the court is fine for now."
Tiafoe's response was a mix of frustration and disbelief, as he said: "It's absolutely pouring with rain. The lines are slick as hell. How are we playing?" Only prompting another response from the umpire, saying: "If the court is fit to play we have to continue."
The American believed that the match continued only because his opponent was an Italian, even further adding to the drama as the fans got behind their favourite. Discussing the situation with the supervisor, Tiafoe said:
"How are we playing on this court right now. How! How are we possibly playing on this court when it's raining this hard? I don't care! How are we playing on this? How? You're joking. Every single one of you is playing tricks. Of course you won't stop this as I'm playing an Italian."
Eventually, the match was stopped when Musetti was leading 5-7, 6-4, 2-1. Currently, it's set to continue on Tuesday, but the forecast doesn't look very promising and the two players may wait even longer before the play resumes.
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