"I continue to feel shocked & disappointed" - Denis Shapovalov breaks silence on 'extremely stressful' ordeal of Citi Open disqualification
Denis Shapovalov has addressed his controversial removal from the recently concluded Citi Open 2024. The Canadian was disqualified during the quarterfinal of the tournament.
Shapovalov faced Ben Shelton in the quarterfinal in Washington and was trailing the second-seeded American 7-6(5). The southpaws went toe-to-toe in the second set and forced another tiebreaker.
After hitting an unforced error that handed Shelton a 6-3 lead in the tiebreaker, Shapovalov lost his cool. He threw his racket on the ground and shouted at a fan in the stands.
The chair umpire gave the Canadian an unsportsmanlike conduct code violation and called the supervisor, who disqualified him from the match and handed Shelton the win.
As a result of his disqualification, Shapovalov was set to lose all his ranking points and prize money that he would've earned at the ATP 500 tournament. He also faced a $36,400 fine for the violation. The 25-year-old appealed the decision and was successful in retaining his ranking points and prize money.
Shapovalov has now spoken about the incident for the first time on social media. The former World No.10 thanked those who stood by him throughout the ordeal. In the post, he expressed shock and disappointment at Citi Open officials' decision to disqualify him and thanked ATP for the quick resolution of his appeal.
"Dear fans, I would like to thank you for standing by my side through these last few days. As you can imagine it's been an extremely stressful time for me. I continue to feel shocked and disappointed over the decision to disqualify me from my match against Ben in Washington. It was not fair to me, him or anyone that was there to watch the match. I of course immediately submitted my appeal to the ATP and I am pleased and thankful with the quick decision to reinstate my points and prize money," Denis Shapovalov wrote on X.
Shapovalov disagreed with the hefty fine he had to pay for the code violation, as it accounted for more than half of the prize money he earned from the tournament.
"I must state however that I do not agree with the hefty fine I was given, which is more than half the prize money I earned last week, and will continue to fight that. We all work extremely hard - our tennis careers are our lives and should not be derailed by unnecessary, subjective ruling. I also hope the ATP can put better rules in place for protecting players from abusive fans."
Shapovalov took note of the players who stood up for him and expressed excitement about playing his home tournament in Canada.
"I'd also like to take this time to thank the players that have openly stood up for me in the press and on social media. As difficult as these few days have been, I am excited to be back in Montreal in front of Canadian fans. I hope that I can continue building off my good week in Washington on Home soil," he concluded.
Denis Shapovalov to play singles and doubles at Canadian Open 2024
Denis Shapovalov will hope to recoup quickly from the unfortunate events in Washington and prepare for his home tournament, the National Bank Open, in Montreal, Canada. He will have his hands full at the Masters 1000 tournament, where he'll compete in both singles and doubles.
Currently ranked 106th worldwide, the Canadian received a wildcard in singles and will face a qualifier in the first round. The Canadian Open is a special tournament for Shapovalov, as it is where he announced himself on the ATP Tour. He reached his maiden Masters 1000 semifinal in Montreal in 2017.
In the doubles, Shapovalov has paired up with compatriot Vasek Pospisil. The duo were awarded a wildcard and will face fifth-seeded Italians Simone Bolleli and Andrea Vavassori in the first round.