The complaint Denis Shapovalov once made about Rafael Nadal and said was so ‘unfair’ about playing him

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Denis Shapovalov and Rafael Nadal had an unexpectedly tense exchange one time they played.

Shapovalov was thought to have big potential from a young age, and he started to fulfil that after reaching his first Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon in 2021.

The Canadian was looking to reach his second major semifinal less than a year later at the 2022 Australian Open.

However, Shapovalov was left very frustrated in this quarterfinal against Nadal.

What left Denis Shapovalov frustrated about playing Rafael Nadal at the 2022 Australian Open

After losing the first set of the quarterfinal with Nadal, Shapovalov expressed his frustrations towards chair umpire Carlos Bernardes.

Shapovalov’s complaint about Nadal was that he was taking too long between points and wanted the Spaniard to be handed a code violation.

In this heated exchange with Bernardes, Shapovalov said ‘You guys are all corrupt!’, before he actually spoke to Nadal about the situation at the net.

This was only half of the story of what turned out to be a thrilling five set match, where eventual Australian Open champion Nadal beat Shapovalov, 6-3 6-4 4-6 3-6 6-3.

However, the saga surrounding Shapovalov’s complaints was far from over, as he was subsequently asked about the issue in his post-match press conference.

While Shapovalov admitted that he should not have used the word corrupt and did not have a personal issue with Nadal, he did call the whole situation ‘frustrating’ and also called out the time taken for a medical timeout between the fourth and fifth set.

“I mean, I think I misspoke when I said he’s corrupt or whatever I said,” said Shapovalov. “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.

“I mean, I’m completely ready to play and the clock is ticking 3, 2, 1, clicking towards zero, and I’m looking at the ump, and, you know, obviously I’m going to speak up and say something. 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.

“And then after the fourth set, I mean, the guy goes — and for the same thing last year I wasn’t allowed to take a toilet break when I asked for a medical. He had already taken two medicals. He was getting medically evaluated, that’s what the ump said after the fourth set, getting medically evaluated, and after the evaluation the guy goes and takes a toilet break.

“It’s like, where is the line? Where are you going to step on the players and say, Okay — and again, I respect everything that Rafa has done and I think he’s an unbelievable player. But, you know, 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.

“It’s difficult. I mean, it was a big break after the fourth set for this reason, and the momentum just goes away. You know, it’s much more difficult to play, I think. Again, not trying to say anything against Rafa. I mean, he’s a great player. I really respect all he’s done. But I just think it’s super difficult and super frustrating as, you know, an athlete to go up against all of this.”

Shapovalov was then asked a follow-up question about his previous comments, asking him to confirm if he gets preferential treatment due to his status.

The 14th seed at that year’s Australian Open did not hesitate to respond, and explained the inconsistencies compared to his own experiences.

“Of course. 100% he does. 100%,” Shapovalov continued. “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.

“This one, I mean, after the first two sets it was like an hour and a half just because he’s dragged out so much after every single point. He’s given so much time in between sets and all this. It’s just dragged out.

“You know, like I said, I mean, I literally, for the same reason I wasn’t allowed to go to the washroom last year at the Australian Open because I had called a medical. I’m not arguing the fact that he had a medical or whatever it is, you know. But how can you get evaluated medically and have a toilet break at the same break and just causing so much delay in the game? I mean, it’s just not balanced, you know.”

What did Rafael Nadal say in response to Denis Shapovalov?

When speaking in his own press conference, Nadal was quickly asked for his own take on the situation.

Nadal refuted the claims that he is given preferential treatment, suggesting that the shot clock is proof of that.

While he was full of praise for the on-court performance of Shapovalov, Nadal suggested that he may live to regret his comments.

“No. Not in that case, no, no. I really believe that on the court you don’t deserve better treatment than the others,” said Nadal. “And I really don’t want it and I don’t feel I have it.

“Without a doubt, even as everybody knows, that I have a huge respect for Carlos, and I think he’s a great umpire. Is not the case that he was always hard with me on court, no? No, no, I don’t think that’s the case.

“I really believe that sometimes the — it’s always in the mind that the top players get bigger advantages, no, and honestly on court is not true, no? That’s my feeling. I never feel that I had advantages on court, and I really believe that he’s wrong in that case, no?

“If I am not wrong, in the last couple of years we have a clock, we increase the measures to make the things more fair for everyone, no?

“I honestly feel sorry for him. I think he played a great match for a long time. Of course is tough to accept to lose a match like this, especially after I was feeling destroyed and probably he felt that, and then I was able to manage to win the match, no?

“I wish him all the very best. I think he will — he’s young, and everybody, I think we all make mistakes on our careers. I make a lot of mistakes too when I was younger, and probably he will understand later on after he thinks the proper way that probably he was not right today.”

It appears that there is no longer any bad blood between the pair, with Shapovalov recalling his match with Nadal fondly when the Spaniard retired.

However, Nadal was not the player Shapovalov chose when picking his toughest ever opponent.