Andy Murray admitted he felt "like an idiot" after rowing with a female umpire at Indian Wells.
Britain's world No 4 blew up as he tried to challenge a line call playing doubles with his brother Jamie.
He hit the roof when the umpire said he had taken too long to decide.
Murray said: "I felt bad and I looked like an idiot because I was arguing with a lady.
"I looked like an idiot and I'm not. I just wanted to get clarification on the rule and no one even knows it."
The Murrays lost 6-7 7-6 10-5 to No 2 seeds Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor in their second-round clash.
Murray, who crashed out to world No 92 Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the singles, immediately flew to Miami for the Sony Ericsson Open, starting on Monday.
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