Former world No.10 Denis Shapovalov has broken his silence after being disqualified from the Washington Open quarter-finals last week against Ben Shelton.
Now ranked just outside the top 100 after a string of injuries and poor results, the Canadian dealt with a heckler in the crowd by shouting audible obscenities - deemed sufficient for the umpire to default him down one set and 3-6 in the second set tie-break.
Having already received a code violation earlier for racquet abuse, Shapovalov was heard saying to the umpire, "What are you talking about? Give me a code (violation)... he's (crowd member) talking to me and I'm going to tell him off. That's not fair. How do you not hear what he says but hear what I said?"
The 25-year-old released a statement on social media after the ATP handed down its final ruling on his ranking points and prize money.
‘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 Shelton 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.
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.
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.’
Shapovalov has accepted a wild card into the Montreal Masters 1000 event where he will face America's Brandon Nakashima tomorrow at 3:50am AEST on Centre Court in the round of 64.
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