WATCH: Ball Girl Grabs Herself a Souvenir as Denis Shapovalov Smashes His Racquet After Losing to Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal and Denis Shapovalov played an intriguing quarterfinals match at the Rod Laver Arena earlier today. The two battled toe to toe for a place in the semifinals of the Australian Open 2022. However, the 20-time Grand Slam champion eventually prevailed in a 5-set thriller. With this victory, the Spaniard continued his winning momentum and entered the semifinals of the inaugural Grand Slam of the season.

Meanwhile, Denis Shapovalov was disappointed not to be able to proceed to the next round after having come so close. He was seemingly frustrated after the match. Subsequently, he vented out his frustration on his racquet.

Ball girl picks up the racquet of Denis Shapovalov after his match against Rafael Nadal

The broken racquet smashed by the Canadian was lying on the court after the match. As the two players were preparing to leave the court, the ball girl picked up the racquet, grabbing herself a souvenir.

Denis Shapovalov played a great match but could not keep his calm during crucial junctures in the match. Earlier in the match, the 22-year-old was not happy with Rafael Nadal slowing him down. Subsequently, he let this be known to chair umpire Carlos Bernardes. The Canadian said, “He just takes so long, I was ready to serve.” Furthermore, he even told the umpire to give the 20-time Grand Slam champion a warning.

Moreover, he even went on to add, “You guys are all corrupt.” The umpire shot back at Shapovalov and said, “Why you look at me? There are eight seconds to play, what do you want?”

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The Spaniard started the game on the front foot and took a two-set lead against the tall Canadian. However, Shapovalov showed his fighting spirit and leveled the match by winning the next two sets. Nadal was seemingly troubled with a stomach ache as the match entered the deciding set. However, the Spanish legend showed his class, winning the fifth and deciding set to proceed to the semifinals of the ‘Happy Slam’.

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Can the Spaniard make history by lifting his 21st Grand Slam title? Do let us know your views in the comments below.