Grigor Dimitrov throws away match with a racket-smashing tantrum
Grigor Dimitrov and Diego Schwartzman met in the final of the Istanbul Open Sunday - and after choking away a victory in the second set, Dimitrov threw the final game of the match with a racket-smashing tantrum to end the tournament.
Dimitrov has been defaulted, and this is how the match ended.......... pic.twitter.com/XA0WLDaMK2
— Stroppa Del (@stroppadel) May 1, 2016
Dimitrov led 5-2 in the second set of the three-set final was a game away from his first singles title since 2014, but Schwartzman broke Dimitrov twice and forced a third set. As Schwartzman started to pull away in the third, Dimitrov lost his temper as the strings on his racket continuted to break, leading him to smash two of them. With Schwartzman up 5-0 in the decisive set, Dimitrov broke one final string and then destroyed his third racket of the match, incurring a championship-ending game penalty.
First-time winner @dieschwartzman and runner-up @GrigorDimitrov with #IstanbulOpen trophies! pic.twitter.com/h1512AhULU
— Istanbul Open (@istanbulopen) May 1, 2016
Dimitrov calmly shook hands with the chair umpire and later posed for the incredibly awkward trophy presentation. Dimitrov apologized for his outburst on the court.
Via the Daily Mail:
