Tsonga slipped to a 2-6 7-5 4-6 defeat against Nadal in the quarter-finals of the ATP Tour event on Thursday and could not hide his frustration at officials after the match.

The Frenchman insisted Steiner was quick to overrule on close calls against him, but insisted he was much more lenient on Nadal and never intervened to the detriment of the Spaniard.

"I was complaining because all the match, you know, I've got to, I have to challenge, and I was right, you know, many, many times," Tsonga told reporters afterwards.

"He never takes initiative when it's against Rafa, you know. And, you know, now it's all the time like this. All the time.

"So I have to be really focused, you know, on the ball, because if the ball is out, it would never if it's really close, he would never say out against Rafa. Always to say against me."

Upset

Tsonga went on to claim that Steiner was more favourable in his decision-making towards Nadal in a bid to retain his seat for high-profile matches.

"If Rafa don't like him anymore, I mean, he would not be in the chair many times on final and semi-final," Tsonga continued. "That's it.

"Sometimes, I mean, it's not fair. Because I have to take decision, you know, all the time. And he never take decision. He just say the score. That's why, you know, sometimes I'm upset about it.

"It's like a double work, I have to watch the ball and the line and everything, and I have to play.

"I mean, then, you know, it come in your head and you focus on it and you don't have to. Then I lose my concentration, you know, sometimes because of that."

For his part, Nadal claimed he understood Tsonga's frustrations, but insisted he did not receive favourable treatment from the umpire.

"I understand sometimes the frustration on this situations, no?" Nadal said. "Because that is true that the referees with the Hawk Eye are doing less overrules than before. I said hundreds of times, too, no? But is not because he's playing against me. No, no. Happen to me a lot of times."