By his own admission, Jerzy Janowicz didn't just argue with the chair umpire during a tense first-set tiebreak against India's Somdev Devvarman, he went a little ''nuts.''
Leading 9-8 in the tiebreak, Janowicz snapped when his opponent hit a forehand down the line he believed was out. The chair umpire, Marija Cicak, ruled otherwise.
Evidently feeling he'd been wronged by Cicak previously, the Pole began screaming at her, ''How many times? How many times?'' before dropping to his knees on the court and spitting on the line. ''I'm begging you!'' he screamed at Cicak.
''I was just worried about his voice,'' Devvarman said. ''I mean, the guy was yelling at the top of his lungs and I was like, `Dude, just calm down.'''
After losing the tiebreak 12-10, Janowicz's tirade continued. He hit the umpire's chair and tossed a water bottle across the court. That earned him a code violation.
The 24th-seeded Pole finally prevailed in the four-hour match, 6-7 (10), 3-6, 6-1, 6-0, 7-5. Now he must wait and see if he receives a fine for his outburst.
''You can't control your emotions all the time,'' he said in a much better mood after the match. ''Actually, I went nuts. I calmed down little bit later on. Sometimes I have problem to control by emotions, but I'm trying to work on this.''
Asked if he ever hit an umpire's chair before, he smiled sheepishly. ''Maybe,'' he said.
International Tennis Federation officials said they will review the umpire's reports in the morning and decide whether a fine is warranted. Janowicz, for one, believes he should be in the clear. ''I didn't say anything bad, so I hope I not have to pay.''
By late Wednesday, Janowicz's outburst had been viewed 10,435 times on YouTube. He has a ways to go before he matches Marcos Baghdatis' temper tantrum during last year's Australian Open when the Cypriot smashed four rackets in a row. That video has been viewed 1.4 million times and counting.
