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Canadian tennis player Denis Shapovalov got a bit testy during his Italian Open match on Monday, screaming a profanity at stadium fans while arguing a call with the chair umpire.
“Shut the f–k up!” Shapolvalov was captured yelling at the raucous crowd.
Shapovalov was down 3-4 in the second set, when he was handed a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct after he hopped over the net to show the umpire a mark on his opponent’s side of the clay court — an act that is not permitted.
Umpire Richard Haigh had ruled the Canadian’s serve was out, resulting in a double fault and a break point for Italian opponent Lorenzo Sonego.
As Shapovalov continued to argue with the official, he called Haigh over to his side of the court and singled out a fan who was heckling him.
“I’m not going to kick him out because I didn’t see what he was doing,” Haigh said. “I saw you talking to him and you incited it a little bit. I understand you’re frustrated.”
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As he argued with Haigh, Shapovalov became frustrated with the growing chorus of boos and let loose, screaming at the crowd at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome.
Despite his outburst, Shapolalov went on to win the match in three sets and appeared remorseful for his actions in a post-match interview.
“A lot of things happened in the heat of the moment. I need to be better with my behaviour,” said Shapovalov, who will face Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili in the second round on Tuesday.
“It was my mistake. I’ll know the rule for next time. I definitely won’t step over the net.”
Shapovalov told The Canadian Press he generally enjoys playing in Rome.
“The fans love me here and I love the fans,” he said. “Even after the match, there were a lot of people standing, waiting for pictures, stuff like that.
“I’m super excited to play another match, not against an Italian.”
The 23-year-old is currently ranked number 16 on the 2022 Men’s Tennis ATP Rankings.
— with files from The Associated Press and The Canadian Press
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
