Last year, the German tennis sensation Diego Dedura-Palomero burst onto the scene by becoming the first player born in 2008 to win a Challenger-level match. Fast forward one year, and the 17-year-old has now become the first player born in 2008 to win a main-draw match on the ATP Tour, as Denis Shapovalov retired mid-match during their contest at the BMW Open. It has been a tournament of firsts for this youngster. In the qualifying, he clinched his first Top-100 win against America’s Mackenzie McDonald. Although his run came to an end at the hands of Alexander Bublik in the next match, little did he know at that time that soon after, he’d receive the biggest opportunity of his young career as a Lucky Loser, after Gael Monfils’ withdrawal from the tournament. Despite all these memorable moments, though, the teenager has gotten a bit unpopular. What did he do, though?

Well, after being added to the main draw as a Lucky Loser, Dedura-Palermo took on the Canadian star Shapovalov in his first match, becoming the first player born in 2008 or later to compete in an ATP Tour match. However, that thrilling match lasted for only 64 minutes. Dedura-Palomero secured a 7-6(2),3-0 lead over Shapovalov before the Canadian player was forced to bring an abrupt end to this match due to an injury.

Before this week, Dedura-Palomero only made $20.9k in his young career. Now, with this win, he has not only secured a few more bucks in his bag, but he would also jump from 549 to number 376 in the ATP Rankings.

What a moment for this youngster! He wasn’t even meant to be playing at the BMW Open on Tuesday, but now he’s all set to take on Belgium’s Zizou Bergs in the R16. Given the historic nature of his win, the teenager celebrated in style after finishing his quick handshake with Shapovalov. He let out an almighty roar, and even hurled his headband onto the clay surface. After that, he marked out a cross on the court, before lying down on his back with arms and legs outstretched. Tennis TV shared a video clip of that bizarre post-match celebration on X, and it didn’t really please the fans.

Reflecting on his performance post-match, the German said, “Of course I was always [nervous]. On the outside, you’re calm but on the inside, it’s a storm inside.” While talking about the massive jump in his rankings, he further added, “It’s so crazy. I just was at the beginning of the year, I told myself, ‘Yeah I just play and just look’. I looked also, before the match, I looked up where I would be after maybe the match. 376. Just crazy, crazy numbers. Crazy everything.” But was his crazy celebration after the match a bit too much, especially considering the state of mind of his opponent, who was forced to retire due to an injury? Here’s what the fans had to say about that celebration.

Tennis fans aren’t too pleased with Dedura-Palomero’s post-match celebration at the BMW Open

How many times have we seen celebrations from tennis stars outshining the result of the match? Well, the tennis world has witnessed quite a few bizarre celebrations in the past. Be it Daniil Medvedev’s “Dead Fish” celebration at the end of the 2021 US Open final or Novak Djokovic celebrating Wimbledon victory by eating grass. Even Ben Shelton’s “dial-up” celebration has created a massive roar among the fans in the past. Now, Diego Dedura-Palomero’s bizarre reaction after securing his spot in the R16 of the BMW Open has also earned its place among the most unusual and unexpected reactions after a tennis match.

After seeing glimpses of his celebrations, a fan wrote, “What in the blue eff is this. Am I missing something or is this guy way out of line to celebrate this way. His opponent is injured !!!!!“

“I just can’t put it in words right now. I’m just so happy…So I was waiting the whole day on Monday, and then [Gael] Monfils pulled out. He hugged me and was so nice. I just went in and told myself to, ‘Just have fun, go with the crowd, and just play your best tennis’. I can’t put it in words. I’m just so happy right now,” Dedura-Palomero added after the match. But did he take it too far? Some of the fans highlighted, “Little bit weird to do that if your opponent has retired.”

But Dedura-Palermo later claimed that he was “quite religious” and the celebration was a “gesture of gratitude” (reported by the German news agency dpa). However, some of the fans cited, “This is disgusting behavior.“

Despite all these severe backlashes from the fans, renowned tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg stood beside the youngster and said, “I don’t really match the anger here, btw… let the child be hype about a career-changing result. He was up a set and 3-0 before Shapovalov retired, so a victory had been earned when the stoppage came. And if his celebration is too much… maybe everyone else is doing too little.” One fan, however, disagreed, as he wrote, “You go through because your opponent retires, and this is how you react? What a douche bag! 🤨.” 

April 15 marked Denis Shapovalov’s 26th birthday. A netizen highlighted this disappointing result on his memorable day by saying, “Unfortunately, not the best birthday for Shapovalov today as he has had to retire from his match after a medical timeout. I get that Diego is only 17, but to celebrate a win like this against an opponent who’s had to retire because of an injury/illness is not a good look IMO?”

Diego Dedura-Palermo is now only three wins away from potentially winning his first ATP Tour event. Only four players younger than him, including a 16-year-old Boris Becker in 1984, have won at the storied Munich tournament. Can this teenager create another historic moment in his career by winning the BMW Open? “That’s too far! I think I cannot win against these guys on a regular basis, it’s just one out of 100,” he said. However, he has assured his fans that he’ll try his best to get into the next round. What do you think about Dedura-Palermo’s chances against Bergs in the next round?