"Rafael Nadal is one of the most respectful players with his rivals"- Alex Corretja refutes Denis Shapovalov's claims of preferential treatment

Tennis analyst and former player Alex Corretja has described Denis Shapovalov's claims that Rafael Nadal received favoritism from umpires as "strange" and "wrong." The former World No. 2 believes Nadal is one of the players on tour who is most respectful of his rivals.

Nadal, currently World No. 5, defeated Shapovalov 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Australian Open on Tuesday. During the second set of the contest, Shapovalov accused chair umpire Carlos Bernardes of being "corrupt" for not giving Nadal a time violation.

After the match, the Canadian admitted he made a mistake in his choice of words. However, he insisted the 35-year-old had always been given too much leeway by officials. The Spaniard shot down the accusations in his press conference, insisting he had always received the same treatment as every other player.

Speaking to Eurosport Spain, Corretja expressed his opposition to Shapovalov's comments, while arguing officials fairly handle the time his compatriot takes between points.

"It is strange that he (Shapovalov) says that about Rafa when, for me, he is one of the most respectful players with his rivals, and I think he is also wrong about treatment in his favor," Corretja said. "With Rafa, they (the umpires) are also always very attentive and alert him that he has to play faster."

"At the time, at the beginning of the second set, I think Shapovalov was a little tense," Corretja continued. "He started looking at the clock, and he saw that Rafa was not ready when he was playing very fast, and I think he wanted to speed up his pace."

"I think that an opportunity has escaped him, and he has also felt that" - Alex Corretja on Denis Shapovalov's loss to Rafael Nadal

Denis Shapovalov and Rafael Nadal exchange words during their 2022 Australian Open match

Alex Corretja further refuted Denis Shapovalov's allegations about Rafael Nadal benefitting from preferential treatment from umpires. The two-time French Open finalist argued the 22-year-old's frustration at failing to beat the great Spaniard led to his post-match comments.

"He is wrong, saying that he (the umpire) is corrupt, and saying that he gives a 100% favorable treatment [to Nadal]," Corretja said. "I think that Shapovalov has got it wrong, beyond the fact that I love the way he plays. I think that an opportunity has escaped him, and he has also felt that. In my opinion, his frustration later in the press conference came from that."

Nadal will face No. 7 seed Matteo Berrettini in the semifinals of the Australian Open on Friday. Second-ranked Daniil Medvedev will play No. 4 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the other last-four clash.

The #AO2022 men's semifinals are set

🇮🇹 Matteo Berrettini v Rafael Nadal 🇪🇸
🇬🇷 Stefanos Tsitsipas v Daniil Medvedev 🇷🇺

Who wins it from here? 🏆

#AusOpen