Angry about tennis politics, Pospisil stages tirade in Miami

MIAMI — Angry about tennis politics, Vasek Pospisil of Canada staged a tantrum and was docked a key point Wednesday in his opening-round loss at the Miami Open.

Pospisil, who has been trying to set up a new group to represent men’s professional players, was beaten by qualifier Mackenzie McDonald 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

During a changeover after his meltdown in the first set, Pospisil used a profanity to describe ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi, and complained about a meeting they both attended Tuesday night.

Pospisil told the chair umpire Gaudenzi was “screaming at me in a player meeting for trying to unite the players — for an an hour and a half. … If you want to default me, I’ll gladly sue this whole organization.”

Hours later, Pospisil tweeted an apology for his behaviour during the match.

“I disrespected the game I love, and for that I am truly sorry,” he wrote. “By way of explanation, I felt deeply unnerved during a meeting between players and ATP executives last night, and I underestimated the toll those emotions took on me until I stepped onto the court. I am sorry for my on-court behaviour and the language I used.”

Pospisil and No. 1-ranked Novak Djokovic have been trying to set up a group to represent tennis players, who have never have had a union, unlike athletes in North American team sports.

The ATP didn’t respond to a request for comment on Pospisil’s tirade. He angrily launched a ball out of the court and smashed two rackets in the first set. Serving while facing a set point, he was penalized for verbal abuse to lose the set.

A former top-25 player, Pospisil is now ranked 67th.

In women’s play, American Sloane Stephens earned her first victory of the year by rallying past qualifier Oceane Dodin of 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-2.

Stephens, who won the tournament in 2018, had been 0-4 previously this year and hadn’t won a match since the French Open in September. Against Dodin, Stephens fell behind after she failed to convert two sets in the opening set, but she pulled away in the final set.

Stephens, ranked 49th, is among six former champions in the women’s draw.

Wild-card Ana Konjuh of Croatia won her first main-draw match in a WTA event since 2018 when she beat Katerina Siniakova 7-6 (3), 7-5. Konjuh’s career has been slowed by four elbow surgeries.

Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain overcame two match points and a 5-1 deficit in the final set to overtake Bernarda Pera 6-2, 2-6, 7-5. American Danielle Collins swept Kristina Mladenovic 6-3, 6-3, and Jelena Ostapenko defeated Xiyu Wang 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-1.

On the first day of men’s play, Alexei Popyrin built on his recent momentum by beating Feliciano Lopez 6-4, 7-6 (4). Popyrin, a 21-year-old Australian who won his first ATP Tour title late last month in Singapore, will next play big-serving American Reilly Opelka, who is seeded 30th.

Lopez, 39, was the oldest player in the men’s draw.

Pierre-Hugues Herbert of France, runner-up at the recent Open 13 in Marseille, France, beat Pedro Sousa 6-1, 6-3. Herbert will next face No. 11-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada.

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Steven Wine, The Associated Press