Watch: Denis Shapovalov gets rare code violation during 1R win in Rome, yells obscenities at the crowd for booing him
Denis Shapovalov booked his spot in the second round of the 2022 Italian Open, defeating local favorite Lorenzo Sonego in a three-set marathon on Monday. The 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-3 encounter lasted three hours and 11 minutes and had its fair share of drama all throughout.
The Canadian first received an audible obscenity violation in the opening set for taking out his frustration over a lost point by swearing rather loudly. Thankfully, the Canadian regained his composure well enough to take the set in the tiebreaker.
Things were going well for the 13th seed in the second set too, with the scores tied at 3*-4 40-40. After missing the first serve, Shapovalov sent an ace down the middle which was returned wide by the Italian. Sonego challenged the call, prompting the umpire to check that it was indeed wide.
The 23-year-old also came down to the net to check the mark made by the ball, but he was of the opinion that it grazed the line. This is where the World No. 16 made an unforeseen error. He stepped over the net to point out the spot on the ground where the ball had hit to the umpire.
"I was just showing you the mark" Denis Shapovalov tells the umpire, who has to give him a point penalty for crossing the net.
Umpire: "That's just the rule."
Shapovalov: "No it's not, it's stupid."
Crowd erupts.
Shapovalov: "Shut the f*** up"
The referee pointed out the mistake to him, saying that it was a code violation to cross over in the middle of the game.
"Denis, listen. Because you crossed the net, you're going to get another code violation. So that's a point penalty, because you can't cross the net. I know you were only showing me [the mark], but you have to stay on [your own] side," he said.
At this point, Denis Shapovalov demanded to speak with the supervisor, saying that it was a "bulls***" penalty and that it was "stupid." The chair umpire did his best to explain to the Canadian that he understood that Shapovalov did not do anything untoward but that he had to simply go by the rules.
"I was not doing anything offensive. I was just showing him the mark because he couldn't see it. This is so stupid," Denis Shapovalov said.
The World No. 16's argument with the supervisor went along the same lines. He insisted that there was nothing he could do here since it was in the rules. Meanwhile, the crowd was getting restless because of the delay in play and kept on booing the 23-year-old.
Having had enough of their non-stop jeering, Denis Shapovalov yelled out "Shut the f**k up" and resumed his heated argument with the supervisor. The outcome did not change, however. The 13th seed received a point penalty for "unsportsmanlike conduct."
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Denis Shapovalov screaming "Shut the fuck up" to Italian crowd https://t.co/k9frgrfiVt
Since he was already facing break point thanks to the original double fault, the Canadian ended up losing his serve. In his subsequent service game, Lorenzo Sonego wrapped up the set.
The World No. 16 did well to not let the moment distract him in the final set, keeping his cool to see off the Italian. Up next, Shapovalov will take on Nikoloz Basilashvili on Tuesday, May 10.
"It was the heat of the moment so I got emotional; it was my mistake" - Denis Shapovalov
Speaking at his press conference after the match, Denis Shapovalov admitted that stepping over the net and the resulting exchange of words were his fault. The Canadian remarked that he had no idea about the rules. He attributed his own behavior as the reason why the incident unfolded in the way that it did.
Denis Shapovalov acknowledges his mistake in the on-court interview:
I think I had to step up my level (in the 3rd). He was playing some great tennis. But also just calming myself down after making my mistake in the second set. I guess now I know the rules.
Although he let the "heat of the moment" get to him this time, the 23-year-old hoped to be better and avoid repetitions in the future. He said:
"I need to be better with my behavior. I have apologized and everything. Yeah, I mean, I'll just try to be better from it. I've never obviously [stepped over the net] before, otherwise I would have known the rules," Denis Shapovalov said. "It was the heat of the moment so I got emotional. It was my mistake. There's nothing they can do. I'll know the rule for next time. I definitely won't step over the net."
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