Jódár warned after towel exchange, then wins in Shanghai

Rafael Jódar received an unsportsmanlike-conduct warning during his Shanghai Masters match against Botic van de Zandschulp on Wednesday after the chair umpire heard him use offensive language while asking a ball boy for a towel. Jódar went on to win in three sets and advance to the quarterfinals. The incident occurred in the second set, after Jódar had lost the opening-set tiebreak and was frustrated following consecutive missed break-point opportunities. The exchange with the ball boy was not clearly captured in the footage described in reports. Accounts differ on the exact wording, but agree that Jódar’s remark included an expletive and that umpire Jimmy Pinoargote issued a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct. As Jódár questioned the decision, Pinoargote told him he knew what he had said and that players should not speak to ball kids that way. Jódar protested that he had not said anything wrong and complained that the umpire had issued a warning after he spoke briefly to the ball boy. The umpire said he could not repeat the language. Jódár recovered from losing the first set to defeat Van de Zandschulp 6-7, 6-4, 6-2.