Argentine tennis player Thiago Tirante on Sunday detailed a harrowing experience at Mexico’s Cancun Airport, where he was allegedly subjected to “abuse of authority.” The incident occured after his first-round exit at the Cincinnati Open.
Thiago Tirante Has Detailed ‘Abusive Situation’ He Faced in Mexico Airport After Cincinnati Open Exit
Tirante reached the main draw of the Cincinnati Open after wins over James Kent Trotter and Arthur Cazaux. Here, he faced Luca Nardi in the first round but lost 4-6, 6-7(5). The Argentine recently took to his Instagram stories to share a bizarre experience he endured at Cancún airport.
The 24-year-old claimed that authorities at the airport threatened to seize his passport if he refused to pay tax on the value of his racquet strings.
“Today I want to share an unfair and abusive situation I had coming to Cancún. Upon arriving with my suitcases, I was put away for review. Opening them, they found strings for racket (my work tool). I explained to them that they were part of my work equipment, but they told me that “they didn’t consider it personal property. I was told I had to pay 19% “tax” on the value of the strings,” the Argentine wrote.
Although Tirante protested, he was told his passport would be withheld if he did not pay, adding that the incident was an abuse of authority.
“When I asked to show me the law or document where that was stipulated, they replied that if I didn’t pay, they would withhold my passport. In the face of that threat and with no legal explanation, I had no choice but to pay. This is abuse of authority and it’s unacceptable to have to go through this,” the Argentine wrote.
Thiago Tirante had an unpleasant experience at the Cancun Airport today
«Today I want to share an unfair and abusive situation I had coming to Cancun. Upon arriving with my suitcases, I was put away for review. Opening them, they found strings for racket (my work tool). I… pic.twitter.com/T4iKOeirgG
— Mario Boccardi (@boccardi_marioo) August 9, 2025
A Look at Thiago Tirante’s 2025 Season So Far
The Argentine has won just two out of six tour-level main-draw matches so far in the 2025 season. His first win of the season came at the Miami Open for which, he had to qualify for the main draw. Tirante beat Flavio Cobolli in the opening round before losing to Denis Shapovalov in a tight three-setter.
A few months later, the Argentine competed at the Generali Open, where he beat Jaime Faria in the first round before being beaten by eventual champion Alexander Bublik in straight sets.
Tirante has mostly competed on the ATP Challenger Tour so far in the 2025 season, winning a title in Cordoba while being the runner-up in Trieste.
