NEW YORK (AP) – Like a schoolkid chastised by a teacher for texting in class, a player at the U.S. Open was caught using his cellphone during a changeover and was admonished by the chair umpire.
Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus, the runner-up at the 2006 Australian Open, got in trouble Sunday while losing his fourth-round match against 10th-seeded Gael Monfils of France 6-3, 6-2, 6-3.
Baghdatis explained to reporters that he was trying to send a message to his wife.
After getting broken to fall behind 4-1 in the second set, Baghdatis sat in his sideline chair during a changeover and fiddled with his phone, holding it near a white towel that was on his lap. Using a phone during a professional tennis match is not allowed, and chair umpire Alison Hughes noticed what was going on.
So after telling the two players the break was over, she announced to the crowd at the Grandstand, “Code violation. Unsportsmanlike conduct. Warning, Baghdatis.”