'Big mistake!' - Roger Federer defended over towel row with umpire and Marin Cilic at French Open by Wilander

ByDan Quarrell

Updated 03/06/2021 at 19:03 GMT

There was an unexpected and heated exchange between Roger Federer, Marin Cilic and the umpire during their French Open second-round clash at Roland Garros. The 20-time Grand Slam champion had a lengthy exchange with the umpire when 3-1 down in the second set after Cilic had apparently complained over the time being taken to get towels at the back of the court between points.

Roger Federer and Marin Cilic were involved in a row with the umpire over the pace of play and towels at the French Open and Mats Wilander has given his view.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion had a lengthy exchange with the umpire when 3-1 down in the second set after Cilic had apparently complained over the time being taken to get towels at the back of the court between points.

After the long discussion with the official at the net in French, which at times got pretty heated, Federer then questioned Cilic himself about the situation.

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"Am I playing too slow?!" he asked Cilic while standing at the net, turning away from the umpire.

"Am I playing too slow?! No, no, I understand the rule..."

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Cilic replied: "You were not playing too slow but, on a few occasions, I was waiting for you!"

Federer shot back: "I understand. But I am going from one corner to the next, trying to get my towel. I'm not even doing it on purpose!"

Cilic replied again: "That's fine but, I mean, you're playing like this all the time..."

'Shocked and surprised' - Federer reacts to argument over towel with umpire

At that point, Federer turned and walked back to the baseline, clearly not overly happy with the exchange.

Roger Federer rows with the umpire and questions Marin Cilic during their French Open clash

Image credit: Eurosport

Wilander, giving his analysis in the Eurosport Cube after the match, said it was a blessing in disguise for Federer given it seemed to fire him up to swiftly complete the match.

"I think that, yes, I understand that Marin Cilic is trying to push Roger Federer a little bit," Wilander said.

At 39 years old you want to take any advantage you can - but at the same time, the umpire makes a big mistake there because who cares!

"You have to go and get your own towel and Federer plays so quick between points - always has - he never, ever stops when there is crowd noise or anything, he just keeps playing, even at the US Open.

"That's why he is so popular, so I think it was a big mistake - and you know what? I think it fired Roger up a little bit and Marin was trying to push him a little bit too.

"If I did that [row with the umpire] you would call me a grumpy old man but I think it really helped him and it showed how much he really cares still."

Highlights: Federer beats Cilic in fiery affair at Roland Garros

Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Federer have all found themselves in the same part of the men's draw in what is an intriguing prospect.

The draw looks particularly exciting for Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev with the trio not having to face any of the 'Big Three' until the final at least.

Djokovic could take on Nadal in the semi-finals in Paris in what would be a repeat from last year's final in the postponed autumnal edition.

The three most successful players in the history of the men's game have won 17 of the last 20 Grand Slam titles between them.

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Watch all the action from the 2021 French Open live on Eurosport, eurosport.co.uk and the Eurosport app with 13-time champion Rafael Nadal eyeing a remarkable 14th title and 2020 Roland Garros sensation Iga Swiatek aiming to replicate her stunning triumph.

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