Rafael Jodar has found himself at the centre of another on-court controversy after appearing to swear at a ball boy during his latest match.
The 20-year-old Spanish player, who faced criticism in May after being accused of pushing a ball girl at Roland-Garros, was filmed using offensive language while requesting a towel during his match in Shanghai on Wednesday.
Video showing the moments that followed quickly spread across social media, including Jodar’s heated conversation with Ecuadorian chair umpire Jimmy Pinoargote.
The incident came after Jodar missed two consecutive break-point opportunities. He then turned towards the ball boy and shouted: ‘Give me the f***ing towel, damn it!’
Pinoargote issued a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct, leaving Jodar visibly surprised. ‘You give me a warning, man?’ the player responded.
The umpire explained that Jodar could have requested the towel through him, saying: ‘I understand, but not like that. Ask me and I’ll ask him.’ Jodar pushed back, insisting: ‘But I didn’t say anything bad to him.’
Rafael Jodar, pictured after defeating Botic Van De Zandschulp on Wednesday, received a warning for swearing at a ball boy
Pinoargote replied that he could not repeat Jodar’s words, adding: ‘You know what you said. I can’t repeat it now. Not like that—we don’t speak to them that way.’
Jodar continued to protest the decision. ‘We’ve been playing for an hour and ten minutes, man,’ he said. ‘He goes away for a second, I say something and you already give me a warning. It’s unbelievable. You can really tell you’re not on the court.’
Despite the interruption, Jodar recovered to defeat Botic Van De Zandschulp in three sets and book his place in the quarter-finals. However, the episode adds to his growing reputation as one of the more volatile players on the tennis tour.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Russian strikes kill 3, leave 600,000 Ukrainians without power
The latest controversy follows an incident at the French Open in May, when Jodar denied pushing a ball girl during his third-round victory over American Alex Michelsen. At Roland-Garros, he threw a water bottle towards someone in his player box before a ball girl crossed his path as he headed backstage for a bathroom break.
The ball girl briefly appeared to lose her balance before recovering. It was never established whether the pair made contact, while Jodar also seemed to be gesturing with his left hand towards a member of his box—later identified by him as his father—as he passed.
Asked about the widely shared footage during his press conference, Jodar strongly denied touching her. ‘I didn’t touch her,’ he said. ‘No, no, no. I could never do that.’
‘I didn’t push her or anything,’ he added. ‘I was telling my dad to give me the things he was going to hand me after my toilet break when I was coming back.’
Jodar denied saying anything untoward and then lambasted the chair umpire
‘She was in the middle, so I think she was trying to get out of the way. She was going backwards, but I think she, like, fell, but not because I push(ed) her.’
Jodar said the ball girl got her feet tangled in the court cover. ‘It was right behind her. So when she was walking backwards, she fell with that,’ he said. ‘I appreciate all the work that the ball kids are doing. I know it’s difficult with the heat and the conditions to stay there, so I appreciate. I could never, you know, push a ball kid.’
The No27 seed had drawn fierce criticism online over the initial video, which one user shared on X while writing: ‘But Rafael Jodar, he’s a total creep. How he pushes the ball girl – And it’s not the first time I’ve heard that he’s awful off the court.’
Another fumed: ‘Pathetic attitude from Rafa Jodar… I mean he’s talented but this attitude doesn’t belong in the tennis court.’
However, before he explained what happened in his press conference, others leapt to Jodar’s defence by pointing out that the angle was misleading.
‘Watch it in slow motion,’ one user said. ‘The ball girl was crossing in front of him and trying to get out of his way but she tripped backwards as she tried to get back in place.’
