Mellowed Tarango Doesn’t Recant Criticism of Wimbledon Umpire

Appearing chastened and clearly operating on legal advice, Jeff Tarango made his first appearance at the Infiniti Open at UCLA Monday, defeating Vince Spadea, 6-2, 6-3.

He bore little resemblance to the emotionally charged player who stalked off the court at Wimbledon during a third-round match after accusing a chair umpire of being corrupt.

Tarango’s wife slapped the umpire, Bruno Rebeuh of France, and for his behavior, Tarango was fined $15,500.

Asked before the match if he was tired of questions about the incident, Tarango shrugged and said: “It’s my responsibility to answer them. It’s distracting. I got myself into this, I guess.”

Tarango, of Manhattan Beach, has said he is sorry that he walked off the court but reiterated Monday that the basis of his complaint against Rebeuh remains valid.

“I had to stand up for myself and not let people push me around,” he said.

An investigation of both Tarango’s accusations and his behavior is ongoing. Tarango said he didn’t expect an ITF suspension.

“Wimbledon is humongous,” he said. “[But] I’m pretty small on the food chain. If they want to set an example, they wouldn’t do it with me.”

Tarango said he didn’t anticipate any civil action from Rebeuh, either in the form of a defamation suit against him or an assault case against his wife.