TWO CALLS LEAD TO FARCICAL SCENES AND FROSTY HANDSHAKE; PLAYERS NEED TO BE SEPARATED

Not one, but two controversial calls by the chair umpire involving Arthur Fils and Thiago Seyboth Wild have left Brazil fuming as they trail France in a crucial Davis Cup qualifier.

The French are one win away from securing a second-round qualifying berth with a healthy 2-0 lead in the tie.

One of those victories came thanks to the brilliance of world No.19 Fils, who took down Seyboth Wild 6-1 6-4.

The first incident occurred when Seyboth Wild was accused of saying "challenge" to the umpire after Fils had served, with the Frenchman seen pointing his finger at Seyboth Wild after he had lost the point.

Audio picked up Seyboth Wild repeatedly confirming to the umpire "I didn't say challenge" as him and Brazilian captain Jaime Oncins protested in anger and confusion.

Further drama unfolded at 4-4 in the second set at a critical stage, with Fils converting a break point opportunity to have the chance to serve for the match.

But replays show Fils should not have won the point, with the umpire ruling that the ball hit Seyboth Wild which once again infuriated the Brazilian bench.

Oncins went up to the chair umpire and said, "This is a big mistake, you cannot call that. It's a big mistake... It wasn't even close. It's the wrong decision. It's a bad call. You cannot do that".

As expected, those two incidents led to a frosty handshake at the net, with Fils wrapping his arm around his opponent to try and calm him down.

But Fils then went over to Seyboth Wild a few moments after the handshake, forcing the umpire and both captains to separate the pair in unsavoury scenes.

"I think mistakes are quite usual in tennis, and in life we all make mistakes, that's something that happens," said Seyboth Wild, referring to the call at 4-4 in his post-match press conference alongside Oncins. "But it was a pretty bad one, and in my opinion, it definitely changed the course of the match."

When asked about his coming together with Fils, the Brazilian admitted it was in the "heat of the moment" and that "a couple of words" were exchanged.

"To be quite honest, I don't think [Fils] should've [made the call]," Seyboth Wild added. "I probably wouldn't, any player probably wouldn't make that call at 4-4. But regardless, it was a bad call... it's not up to him to make any calls, it's up to the umpire."

ASTE (Australian Synthetic Turf Enterprises) is Melbourne’s tennis court

construction specialists.

One game and you will know the difference.

Play on a court you’re proud of, play on an ASTE court.

Head to A-S-T-E.com.au to discover more.