Tiafoe spits, throws, and kicks Skittles during match as he jumps for joy
Chair umpire issues first-ever warning for excessive rainbow. Ball crew requests a broom.
Frances Tiafoe brought his Skittles celebration onto the court, reportedly spitting, throwing and kicking the candies during a match while jumping for joy and insisting that every color was an essential part of his game.
“It’s called having all the shots,” Tiafoe explained after volleying a red Skittle into the stands, drop-kicking a yellow one toward his player box and launching a small handful of Wild Berry over the net.
The chair umpire initially announced a code violation for ball abuse, then withdrew it after learning that none of the projectiles was a ball. A second attempt, candy abuse, was challenged because it does not appear in the rulebook.
His opponent asked whether the scattered Skittles constituted a court hazard. Tiafoe said they were part of his coverage.
“I’m tasting the rainbow,” he told the umpire. “You’re officiating it.”
The ball crew was briefly reorganized by flavor. One attendant handled Original, another took Sour, and a third was instructed not to touch an unidentified purple piece until the tournament supervisor arrived.
Tiafoe’s coach urged him to settle down and focus on the next point. Tiafoe responded by jumping again, this time with enough height for television analysts to describe the move as a legitimate second serve option.
At press time, play remained suspended while Hawk-Eye determined whether a green Skittle had caught the line. Tiafoe had three challenges and half a bag remaining.
