It is a busy week on the ATP Tour this week with ATP 500 tournaments in Barcelona and Munich.
The ATP tournament in Munich has been upgraded this year, and sees world number three Alexander Zverev as the top seed.
Zverev is seeking a return to form, after winning just seven of his 13 matches since losing in the Australian Open final.
The German was able to win his opening match against Alexandre Muller, but Denis Shapovalov could not do the same in his own first round.
Diego Dedura-Palomero criticized for what he did after winning first ATP match
Former top 10 player Shapovalov won the Dallas Open back in February, but is now on a three match losing streak.
The latest of those losses came at the BMW Open in Munich, when Shapovalov retired, 7-6(2) 3-0, down to 17-year-old German Diego Dedura-Palomero.
While the ending to the match itself was quite anti-climactic, fans were quickly drawn to what the teenager did in his celebration.
Despite his opponent ending the match due to an injury, Dedura-Palomero proceeded to scream in celebration and laid on the clay after winning his first ATP match.
This celebration has drawn a lot of attention on social media, with many people including former US Open quarter-finalist John Millman reacting.
In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), the now-retired Millman wrote, “Unsure I’ve ever seen a celebration like this one after your opponent has had to retire…”
Other people were even stronger against Dedura-Palomero, suggesting that his celebration was over the top.
They said, “In my opinion this was too much…”
Another social media user called the 17-year-old disrespectful, “Appreciate it’s a first win on tour but this is NOT the way to celebrate against an injured opponent. Feels very disrespectful.”
Someone else called Dedura-Palomero ‘classless’, claiming that his age did not excuse his behavior, “Even as a child, one should have the sense not to celebrate retirement wins this way. Classless.”
Other people even revealed that they were rooting for Dedura-Palomero’s next opponent, Zizou Bergs, who has been in controversy himself earlier this year.
They wrote, “Not sure that’s the way to celebrate after someone retires due to illness. Such poor sportsmanship – let’s hope he is swiftly dispatched in the next round.”
Diego Dedura-Palomero becomes first ATP winner born in 2008
Although the main discussion surrounding Dedura-Palomero’s first ATP victory has been his celebration, he has also made history with his latest victory.
Young ATP players have been a big discussion in recent weeks, and Dedura-Palomero signifies that after being born in 2008.
Despite losing to Alexander Bublik in qualifying, Dedura-Palomero received a lucky loser spot as a result of Gael Monfils’ withdrawal.
Dedura-Palomero is the first player born in 2008 to win an ATP match, having only just turned 17-years-old in March.
This is the second consecutive year that a German player has made history in this way, with 2007-born Justin Engel winning his first ATP match at the Almaty Open last year.
Carlos Alcaraz made history like this in 2020, while Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti did it in 2019, while Brazilian Joao Fonseca achieved it in 2024.
Dedura-Palomero will be looking for more celebrations in his next match at the BMW Open, when he plays the aforementioned Bergs.
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