Denis Shapovalov (23 years old) lost form during his 7-6, 3-6, 6-3 victory against the Italian Lorenzo Sonego in it Rome Masters 1000.
The Canadian tennis player lost his nerve reaching jumping the net crossing to the other side of the track to protest a doubtful ball hence received a penalty point.
Shapovalov’s protest in Rome: “No, it’s not a rule… it’s stupid”
“I was just showing you the mark”Shapovalov complained to the chair umpire after being sanctioned.
The referee informed the Canadian, who asked the supervisor, that the penalty was in accordance with the rules and “it was just a rule”.
“No, it’s not a rule… it’s stupid,” he kept protesting and yelling, setting the crowd on fire.
Shapovalov faces the public in Rome: “Shut the fuck up”
That was the moment when Shapovalov shouted “shut the fuck up” to the audience, and complaining about a spectator who was supposedly making fun of him.
Shapovalov calls for tennis to follow the NBA model with rowdy fans
In the post-match press conference, Shapovalov called for tennis to follow the model of other sports such as the NBA, which expels violent controversial fans from the arenas: “In the NBA there are a lot of troublemakers and things like that. They are quite strict with the security and fans don’t cross the line. If they do, they’re ejected immediately.
Shapovalov apologizes for his behavior at the Masters 1000 in Rome
The Canadian tennis player apologized at a press conference for his behavior and acknowledged that it was unacceptable.
“It’s the heat of the moment… I just need to improve my handling of it,” he acknowledged.
The scuffle between Denis Shapovalov and Rafael Nadal during the Australian Open: “You are corrupt”
In January 2022 Rafael Nadal and Denis Shapovalov staged a scuffle during the match that faced them at the Australian Open.
The Canadian complained to the chair umpire because he considered that Nadal had been slow to get back on track.
“You are corrupt,” the Canadian tennis player told chair umpire Bernardes.
During the match Shapovalov persisted with his protests, forcing Rafa Nadal to approach the net to talk to the Canadian and recriminate his attitude.
“You are corrupt”: Nadal and Shapovalov’s scuffle
Shapovalov denounced Nadal’s favorable treatment: “You don’t just play against him, but also against the judge”
In the wheel after the game, which Nadal wonDenis Shapovalov, persisted in his anger and complained that “You don’t just play against Nadal, you also compete against the referee”.
“I respect him but there have to be certain limits. You not only play against him, you also compete against the referee. It is very hard and frustrating to overcome all this,” Shapovalov complained.
Shapovalov denounces Nadal’s favorable treatment: “You play against him and against the judge”
“I was wrong to say that they are corrupt, but I stay with my version. It is unfair to see how many times Rafa gets away with this. Of course I say something to the judge because I am ready to serve and the clock is approaching end,” he added.
