Monday 5 September 2016 12:12, UK
Marcos Baghdatis was admonished by the chair umpire at the US Open on Sunday after being caught using his mobile phone during a changeover.
The 2006 Australian Open finalist explained that he was trying to send a message to his wife while losing his fourth-round match against 10th-seeded Frenchman Gael Monfils 6-3 6-2 6-3.
After getting broken to fall behind 4-1 in the second set, Baghdatis sat in his 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."
At the subsequent changeover, two games later, the 31-year-old Baghdatis stood near Hughes' chair to discuss the warning and plead his case, offering his defence: "I cannot look at the time? (What) if I want to look at the time?"
Later, during his post-match press conference Baghdatis admitted to what he really had been doing with his phone in his hand during a Grand Slam tournament.
"I was just writing a message to my wife," he said with a smile.
Asked whether he thought the warning issued by Hughes was fair, Baghdatis replied: "Yeah, I mean, there is rules, so I guess I broke the rules. So I got a warning for it."
And when asked if he might reveal what he was typing on the phone in the middle of a match, the 31-year-old Cypriot replied: "No way I'm going to share what the message was. Nice try, though. No way."
Baghdatis said this was not something he ever had tried before as a pro on tour.
"But," he added, "I said, 'Why not?'"
