"He should quit tennis and be a gender activist" - Fans mock Denis Shapovalov after Indian Wells R2 exit
Denis Shapovalov has had a disappointing start to the 2023 season, to say the least. On Friday he suffered yet another setback, losing in the second round of the 2023 Indian Wells Masters.
Shapovalov took on Ugo Humbert in the Round of 64, but looked far from his best. The Canadian posed no real threat throughout the match and coughed up 14 double faults on his way to a straight-sets defeat.
Shapovalov also suffered opening-round exits at the Dallas Open and Delray Beach Open, along with early defeats at the Australian Open, Mexican Open and Adelaide International.
In that context, several tennis fans have taken to Twitter to express their disppointment at the 23-year-old's results. One fan harshly suggested that Shapovalov should stop playing tennis and become a gender activist instead.
This comes after the Canadian's recent endorsement of equal pay for men and women in tennis.
"Shapo the simp. Instead of improving his form, he's too busy trying to get some attention from the ladies. He should quit tennis and be a gender activist," they tweeted.
@josemorgado Shapo the simp. Instead of improving his form, he's too busy trying to get some attention from the ladies🤡 He should quit tennis and be a gender activist.
Another fan labeled the performance "extremely disappointing." They highlighted the Canadian's struggles on serve throughout the match and claimed that he "lost to himself."
"14 double faults from Shapovalov. That’s 3.5 service games gift wrapped nicely to your opponent in a 5-7 4-6 loss. Extremely dissapointing stuff. He was 3-1 up in Set 1 & 4-1 up in Set 2. I want to praise Humbert for his steadiness, but reality as usual: Denis lost to himself," they wrote.
14 double faults from Shapovalov. That’s 3.5 service games gift wrapped nicely to your opponent in a 5-7 4-6 loss. Extremely dissapointing stuff. He was 3-1 up in Set 1 & 4-1 up in Set 2. I want to praise Humbert for his steadiness, but reality as usual: Denis lost to himself.
Here are a few more fan reactions to Denis Shapovalov's dismal performance:
Haven’t seen Shapovalov looking this defeated in a while. Even when he was winning he just looked like he wanted to be as far away from that court às possible. Credit to Humbert, consistent and never giving up.
@vanshv2k What was up with his mood today? Even up 4-1 he looked like he wanted to be anywhere but on the court.
@josemorgado @denis_shapo through no fault but his own. Disgusting the way he threw that game at the end.
@vanshv2k He tanked and yelled at his box to leave. Embarrassing waste of people’s time. @denis_shapo needs help. He doesn’t respect anyone including himself. Waste of admission cost and hundreds of fans time. Joke
@josemorgado He’s better off promoting WTA for equal pay instead. 😂
@josemorgado so far so bad 🤦♂️ https://t.co/NU13Yib53g
@josemorgado He should concentrate on tennis instead simping and virtue signalling for equal prize money
@josemorgado Shapo is cooked
A look at Denis Shapovalov's season so far
Denis Shapovalov's season kicked off at the Adelaide International. The Canadian began well, registering wins over Rinky Hijikata and Roman Safiullin, but was ousted by Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the quarterfinals.
Shapovalov then traveled to Melbourne for the Australian Open, where he lost a hard-fought five-set encounter against Hubert Hurkacz in the third round.
Things went from bad to worse at the Dallas Open and Delray Beach Open, where he suffered opening-round defeats to Wu Yibing and Michael Mmoh, respectively.
At the Mexican Open, Denis Shapovalov defeated Miomir Kecmanovic in the opening round, only to suffer a straight-sets defeat at the hands of Taylor Fritz.
After his disappointing campaign at Indian Wells, Shapovalov's win-loss record for the season stands at 5-6. He will be eager to get back on track ahead of the Miami Masters beginning on March 19.