Chaos erupts at ITF tournament as tennis player fakes retirement before threatening umpire

Tennis players are prone to sometimes having meltdowns during their matches, however, a young athlete took it to the extreme at an ITF Junior tournament in Nairobi, Kenya.

With so much at stake at larger tournaments such as the ongoing Wimbledon Championships, one could understand the stress experienced by players. However, a bizarre and angry incident occurred during a lower-level match between American Eaden-Zack Harron, who was competing in the second round of the J30 boys tournament in Nairobi against India's Om Patel.

Read also

"He doesn't have a lot of mates on this tour, does he?" - Taylor Fritz called out for inappropriate Wimbledon behavior

Harron fakes retirement, lashes out at umpire

The 16-year old Harron left fans and his opponent puzzled when he walked to the net to shake hands with his opponent before the match was over, which often indicates a player is retiring from the match. However, as a confused Patel approached him, the American withdrew his hand and continued with the match.

Things took a turn for the worse when Harron disputed a call in the third set. Trailing 5-6, the young American believed a shot by Patel was out, but it was overruled by the chair umpire. The match was played on clay but there was a dispute over which was the correct mark. Convinced that the ball had not touched the line, Harron launched a tirade against the umpire, hitting a ball wildly into the crowd before throwing his racket in disgust.

Harron would immediately pack his belongings and storm off the court, much to the surprise of the small crowd who had gathered to watch the match. Patel was subsequently declared the winner, with Harron's antics seen as reason enough for a default.