Dennis Shapovalov, the young Canadian sensation lashed out at Nadal and match referee Carlos after losing to the Spaniard in a thrilling five set quarter finals match yesterday. The Canadian felt an unfair treatment towards him favouring Nadal and also fellow ‘Big Three’ members, Djokovic and Federer on the tour.
“You started the clock so long ago and (Nadal is) still not ready to play,” he said, approaching Bernardes after dropping 3-6 in the first set. “You’ve got to code him.”
As he was preparing to serve, Bernardes appeared to hold the game, to which Shapovalov said, “(Nadal) is not ready to play.”
The umpire responded, suggesting Shapovalov was not ready to play after approaching him. Shapovalov fired back: “Are you kidding me? You guys are all corrupt.”
“I misspoke when I said he’s corrupt or whatever I said,” he said after the match. “It’s definitely emotional, but I do stand by my side. I think it’s unfair, you know, how much Rafa is getting away with.”
“There’s got to be some boundaries, some rules set. It’s just so frustrating as a player. You know, you feel like you’re not just playing against the player. You’re playing against the umpires, you’re playing against so much more,” he continued. “I’m not trying to take away anything they’ve done, of course, they’re great champions, they’re the legends of the game. But at the end of the day, when you step on the court it should be equal for everyone.”
“Of course – 100% he does, 100%. Every other match that I have played, the pace has been so quick because the refs have been on the clock after every single point,” he said, via the BBC. “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.”