Lindsay Davenport compares Denis Shapovalov's outburst at Australian Open to that of Serena Williams in 2018, says the Canadian deserves to be fined
In an interview with Tennis Channel, Former World No. 1 Lindsay Davenport said that Denis Shapovalov should be fined for accusing the chair umpire of corruption during his quarterfinal against Rafael Nadal at the 2022 Australian Open.
Following the first set of the last-eight encounter, the World No. 14 approached umpire Carlos Bernardes and berrated him for not giving the Spaniard a code violation. The Canadian felt the World No. 5 was taking too long between points.
Nadal eventually won the match 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3 to seal his place in the semifinals of the Australian Open. Davenport felt Nadal managed his energy well in the final set after breaking the World No. 14.
The American compared Shapovalov's outburst to Serena Williams' tirade against Carlos Ramos during her 2018 US Open final with Naomi Osaka. Williams had called the umpire a thief for giving her three code violations during the match.
"Shapovalov threw in one stinker of a game, gave his serve away. Rafa gets up a break and never looked back," Davenport said. "Rafa then managed his energy the rest of the fifth. He wasn't really trying to break serve again, he was just focusing on his own service games and, he's got a couple of days off now. Men's semis now on Friday, he's got that extra day to recover. He survived, he escaped, he survived."
"If Serena getting hammered for saying 'you're a thief', calling the umpire corrupt doesn't make any sense, you've got to think a fine is coming when all is said and done," she continued.
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"I misspoke when I called the umpire corrupt" - Denis Shapovalov
While Shapovalov admitted he misspoke when accusing the umpire of corruption, he maintained that players of Nadal's stature were given too much leeway.
"I think I misspoke when I said he's corrupt or whatever I said. It's definitely emotional, but I do stand by my side," the World No. 14 said. "I think it's unfair how much Rafa is getting away with. I mean, I'm completely ready to play and the clock is ticking three, two, one, clicking towards zero, and I'm looking at the ump, and obviously I'm going to speak up and say something."
"I've been ready to play for a minute and a half, and he tells me he's not going to give him a code violation because I'm not ready to play. To me, it's a big joke if somebody says that."
Nadal will square off against Matteo Berrettini in the semifinals of the Australian Open. The Spaniard is attempting to make history by winning a record 21st Major, which will take him one ahead of rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.