Controversy and tennis are becoming increasingly synonymous with each other. In the heat of the moment, it’s not uncommon to see players lose their cool, and the latest to find himself in the spotlight is Denis Shapovalov. The Canadian star’s recent on-court antics have drawn criticism from tennis experts like Ben Rothenberg. However, in an interesting twist, Shapovalov’s fans have rallied to support the tennis star.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter,) several fans lashed out at Rothenberg, who seemed to expect an apology from Shapovalov. This came after the Canadian updated a story narrating the incident that followed after his match against Ben Shelton at the Washington Open.

“I continue to feel shocked and disappointed over the decision to disqualify me from my match against Ben in Washington. It was not fair to me, him or anyone that was there to watch the match. I of course immediately submitted my appeal to the ATP and I am pleased and thankful with the quick decision to reinstate my points and prize money.,” the star player wrote. He further claimed that he would fight against the penalty that was imposed on him. But, this did not seem to be sufficient for the journalist.

Reposting Shapovalov’s tweet, Rothenberg wrote on Twitter, “This is so many words and yet none of them are any kind of apology, huh.” This, however, did not appeal to the fans as they took the journalist on target for his perspective. “Literally no need to apologize,” a user responded.

Playing against Ben Shelton in the quarterfinal match, Shapovalov failed to do something significant and lost the first set 6(5)-7(7). As he attempted to get his hold back on the match, his anger proved to be fatal. With the second set tied at 6-6 and the tiebreaker underway, the Canadian star player was seen agitated, which eventually disqualified him from the match. Meanwhile, the fans seem to side with the Canadian star.

“Apology for what?” – fans lash out at Rothenberg for his remarks against Shapovalov

As soon as Rotherberg’s tweet gained traction, several fans joined in to express their disagreement. “Apology for what exactly????? Yelling an annoying person? Smash a racket???? Breathe???????” a user wrote. Remember, the Canadian player had a verbal tussle with a fan who was sitting near the baseline. This had left him visibly furious as Shapovalov was seen smashing his racquet against the ground and then swatting it away. Another user joined in the fray.

Responding to the tweet, the user wrote, “Hmmmm. I’m actually on his side on this one.” For the unversed, this is not the first time when Shapovalov has engaged in such a controversy. In the recently concluded French Open, he faced Hubert Hurkacz in the third round and seemed to lose his cool during the match and smashed his racquet against his head.

Besides, in the Australian Open of 2022, Shapovalov accused Rafael Nadal of deliberately slowing down the game and not being penalized for the same. He had smashed his racquet on the ground, leaving it deformed, as he called the umpires ‘corrupt.’ But while he failed to get enough support back then, he is receiving it in overwhelming numbers now. 

One more user extended their support for the player. “If somebody swears at me and I swear back, the last thing I’d do is apologise for it 💀,” the user wrote. Usually, during such instances the umpire first issues a warning to the player for the ‘unsportsmanlike conduct,’ but fate was different for Shapovalov. And while the 25-year-old was also seen talking to the umpire, probably to request him to overturn the decision, his attempt was in vain.

“Apology for… yelling at a heckler?” one more user spoke against the journalist. But it’s not just the Twitter users who are surprised by the decision. Soon after the match, American Chris Eubanks seemed to question the entire happening and the ruling that followed. “I’m curious what you can possibly say to a spectator that’ll get you defaulted….. 🤔,” he wrote on X.

Another user simply took a sarcastic jibe at  Rothenberg. “Yeah, Shapo didn’t apologize. Whatcha gonna do abt it Ben?” And as Shapovalov does not look even closer to apologizing for his gesture, the fans are surely supporting him. As the season progresses, it would be interesting to see if he can continue to receive such support from his fans, provided he finds himself in another controversy.