“Umpire Pulls Out a Marker!” Crowd Erupts as Referee Starts Drawing on Tiafoe’s Shirt Mid-Court
Frances Tiafoe’s Delray Beach opener descended into chaos when a sponsor logo sparked a bizarre 10-minute delay—and the solution was something tennis had never seen
February 17, 2026 | 4 min read
DELRAY BEACH, Florida — Frances Tiafoe walked onto court ready to play. Minutes later, he was standing motionless while an umpire colored on his shirt with a permanent marker as the crowd booed in disbelief.
Welcome to the strangest delay of the 2026 tennis season.
| Timeline | Event |
|---|---|
| 0 min | Tiafoe takes court for first-round match vs Rinky Hijikata |
| 2 min | Umpire Joshua Brace spots an issue with Tiafoe’s sleeveless Lululemon vest |
| 5 min | Crowd starts booing as delay continues |
| 8 min | Ball girl arrives with… a black marker |
| 10 min | Brace stands mid-court, drawing over a white Barclays logo on Tiafoe’s chest |
| 10+ min | Boos rain down as fans watch an umpire become a fashion designer |
The ATP rulebook is surprisingly specific about sleeveless shirts:
| Shirt Type | Allowed Logos |
|---|---|
| Sleeveless | 2 logos on front (max 6 sq in each) |
| Short-sleeve | 2 on front + 2 on sleeves |
Tiafoe’s vest featured three visible sponsors:
-
Lululemon (his apparel sponsor) on one side
-
UXG and Barclays on the other
That’s one too many for sleeveless. Had he worn short sleeves—like he did last week in Dallas—all three would have been legal, with Barclays moving to a sleeve .
Commentators watching the scene unfold could barely contain their disbelief.
“Referee coming out just to make a judgement. Lululemon is the apparel brand of course, he’s got a couple of other corporate sponsors on the right chest,” they observed .
“Not the way we expected the evening to get underway. It’s taken a little while to spot it.”
When the marker appeared, they knew they were witnessing history:
“This might be a first. I cannot recall the time a chair umpire has a marker in hand.”
The 2018 Delray Beach champion handled the bizarre situation with remarkable composure—at least publicly. He grabbed his bag, checked if he had any other shirts (he didn’t), and stood patiently while Brace became an impromptu tailor .
After the delay, Tiafoe went out and won 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the last 16 .
But his true feelings surfaced later on social media. When an Instagram video of the incident appeared, Tiafoe responded with a string of eye-rolling emojis—a silent but unmistakable commentary on the absurdity .
The incident raises an obvious question: Why didn’t anyone catch this before Tiafoe walked on court?
Players typically have their kits checked before matches. That this slipped through—forcing an on-court marker intervention—suggests either a breakdown in process or a last-minute change Tiafoe couldn’t fix .
For a sport that prides itself on professionalism, watching an umpire draw on a player’s shirt in front of a booing crowd is not exactly a good look.
Tiafoe advances, the marker has been put away, and the ATP will likely review why its rules weren’t enforced before a match was delayed.
But for everyone who watched it unfold, one image will last: Frances Tiafoe, standing center court, being colored in like a coloring book—while the crowd let tennis know exactly what they thought of the whole situation.