“Are you a man? Are you a man? Why are you shaking? What’s wrong, huh? Guys, he wants to leave. He gets paid by the match, not by the hour,” Daniil Medvedev furiously barked at chair umpire Gregory Allensworth during his first-round match at the US Open on Sunday against Benjamin Bonzi. Dramatic or not, this fiery exchange was unquestionably the highlight of a match that Medvedev ultimately lost, marking his early exit from the tournament. As for his sudden anger, the Russian star certainly had his reasons.

Already fighting for his tournament life, trailing by two sets at 6-3 and 7-5 with the third at 5-4, Medvedev was interrupted when a photographer stepped onto the court just before his serve. Allensworth immediately called the cameraman out and ordered him to leave, topping it off with an announcement saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, because of the delay caused by an off-court interference, first serve has been granted,” effectively giving Bonzi the chance to replay the point.

Not to mention, it also led to a whopping six-minute delay. So how would such a call sit with Daniil? While it’s unfortunate that this incident took place, it does bring back memories of another heated moment. Do you recall the time when American star Reilly Opelka had his own, albeit different, run-in with Greg Allensworth? So what better time than now to walk down memory lane and revisit that clash?

What did Riley Opelka say to Greg Allensworth?

This incident dates back to earlier this year, during the Dallas Open round of 16 clash against Cameron Norrie. Reilly Opelka was serving and took a pause mid-serve at 30-30 to confront a spectator he believed was deliberately coughing to distract him, even demanding the fan to leave in a profanity-filled exchange.

That, however, didn’t settle with Greg Allensworth, who responded to the incident by issuing a code violation to the American star, followed by a point penalty for two audible obscenities after Opelka argued his case at the chair. Not to mention the ATP rules, which state that a first offense warrants only a warning, with a second resulting in a point penalty. Regardless, Reilly was also fined $5000 by the ATP.

Even after the heated dispute, Opelka eventually secured a win. Yet, the incident saw the 27-year-old take a dig at Allensworth, calling him the “worst ref on the ATP”. He even urged the concerned authorities to suspend Greg, further blasting the American umpire. “He’s real bad. He almost changed the outcome of that match just because he doesn’t really know what he’s doing; he got emotional when we were arguing,” said Reilly.

Reilly Opelka criticized chair umpire Greg Allensworth for failing to address a disruptive spectator, saying the umpire appeared tense and unable to respond. Opelka noted that the fan’s behavior continued for three points without intervention, forcing him to step in himself. He argued that while the umpire faced no consequences, losing that point could have cost him the match and affected his paycheck.

“It shouldn’t be one-sided traffic. If you want to be disrespectful to me, I can’t just be a punching bag. If the ref isn’t doing his job, then he penalizes me—not a good look. It would be nice to maybe sideline him for a few tournaments,” added Opelka, insisting that Allensworth should be sidelined for several weeks to better understand when “common sense” must prevail over strictly following the rulebook.

This is quite a shocking thing to hear about a self-employed umpire who certainly has quite an experience around the game. Known as one of the 33 Gold Badge Chair Umpires—the highest certification from the Joint Certificate Program by ATP, WTA, ITF, and Grand Slams for officiating tennis matches—he has volunteered for the Official Committee of the United States Tennis Association from 2019 to 2022.

A history graduate from Ohio State University, Allensworth was also a committee member for the 2019/2020 term and Vice-chairman for the 2021/2022 term, even participating in the creation of not one but two new certification structures for the official. Greg Allensworth managed junior and adult tennis competitions in Kentucky between 2013 and 2015, working with tournament directors and Junior Team Tennis League Coordinators to recruit players and handle day-to-day operations.

He also served as Tournament Director for the Joe Creason State Championship, Kentucky’s largest junior event, as well as the JTT State Championships, while overseeing junior and adult rankings. Allensworth has been an ATP Elite Chair Umpire since 2019. Over his career, he has earned several honors, including the John T. McGovern Award in November 2022, induction into the NIRSA Flag Football Hall of Fame in December 2018, and the Jack Stahr Award from the USTA.

But despite his long-standing experience as an official, Greg certainly hasn’t made a good case in the eyes of a few. And yes, this goes beyond Daniil Medvedev and Reilly Opelka!

Daniil Medvedev and Reilly Opelka are far from the full list!

Despite his experience, umpire Greg Allensworth has faced sharp criticism. Earlier during the 2024 Geneva Open, Andy Murray clashed with him in a first-round match against Yannick Hanfmann after play wasn’t halted despite heavy pollen and bad weather. “You’re fine for us to play when there’s s— flying around?… It’s like it’s snowing out here and you still want us to keep going,” Murray fumed, before Allensworth eventually sent the players off court.

Likewise, at the 2024 Cincinnati Open, Taylor Fritz and Félix Auger-Aliassime also had issues with the calls. In Fritz’s first-round match with Brandon Nakashima, a missed Live Hawkeye call on a clear-out ball led to confusion. “They didn’t stop it in time. We played 6-7 more shots,” he explained, prompting Fritz to reply, “Okay no wait, no no no no. Don’t tell me that I need to stop the point when we have electronic line calling.”

Later, against Jack Draper, Aliassime was denied a point after a ball appeared to double-bounce — visible on replay but unseen by Allensworth. Draper admitted post-match, “I serve-volleyed, he hit an amazing pass at my feet. I was shocked at the pass, I was too busy looking at him. I didn’t see what happened.” Aliassime, furious after losing 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, called Draper’s refusal to admit the bounce “horrendous.”

And now, the latest surrounds Daniil Medvedev, either way, share your views in the comments below.

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