MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Frances Tiafoe had never played a No. 1, had never beaten anyone in the Top 5, and now he’d just won a tiebreaker against Novak Djokovic to level their second-round match at the Australian Open.
He nodded and motioned for more noise before plonking down in his courtside chair and saying what everyone watching already knew: “I love this. … I love it!”
That lasted right up until the pivotal moment in the fourth set, serving at 3-all, 30-all, when he walked to the side of the court to get a towel, dry his face, and didn’t resume play before the countdown clock ran out. He was given a time violation by the chair umpire, and docked a serve.
