Denis Shapovalov has urged tennis chiefs to alter the rules after the Canadian was controversially disqualified from his quarter-final match at the Citi Open.
Shapovalov was enjoying his most fruitful run at an ATP event in over a year in Washington, but it was brought to an abrupt end in the dying embers of his clash with Ben Shelton on Friday.
Shelton, who beat Shapovalov in the third round of Wimbledon, was once more on the cusp of victory at 6-3 in the second set tiebreak when the controversy ensued.
The 25-year-old was alleged to have directed foul language at a spectator after an unforced error in the net handed the American three match points.
The supervisor was subsequently called to court and Shapovalov was dismissed from the event, resulting in the loss of his ranking points and prize money from the week.
Even though his points and winnings were reinstated on Monday after a successful appeal, the Canadian was fined over $36k.
Denis Shapovalov on Washington controversy, he wants a rule change
In his pre-tournament press conference, Shapovalov publicly addressed the controversy that has been looming over him.
He said: “One thing is for sure, rules need to change. To have something like this happen from barely anything, when there are maybe 40 or 50, if not more examples, where players have gone way worse and there was no penalisation, or there was way more minor penalisation.
“There is no consistency in the rules. There needs to be something in place that protects the players – that’s my opinion.
“I appreciate the players who did come forward to support me because it’s me in this situation but it could be anybody. I think things do need to change, we need to be protected better for sure.”
Alexander Zverev and compatriot Vasek Pospisil were among those to offer support to Shapovalov amidst the saga.
Can Shapovalov bounce back at the Canadian Open?
Shapovalov returns to the Montreal Open in his native Canada this week where he will be bidding to push on from the form that saw him reach the quarters in Washington.
It is the site where Shapovalov first announced himself on the big stage in 2017.
The teen produced an awe-inspiring performance to oust number two seed Rafael Nadal on the way to the semi-finals.
Shapovalov will be eager to draw on this memorable run if he is to make it past the third round – something he hasn’t done in any of his previous four appearances since then.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
