Shapo wants disruptive fans muffled
Denis Shapovalov called for tennis officials to take a stronger stand against disruptive fans after he was heckled during his three-set win over local hope Lorenzo Sonego at the Italian Open on Monday.
Shapovalov lost his cool, was handed a point penalty and was booed by the fans but he overcame all those distractions to beat Italy's Sonego 7-6(5) 3-6, 6-3 in his opening match in Rome.
The Canadian was given a point penalty after he climbed over the net to point out to the chair umpire the mark on his rival's side of the court, which is prohibited by the ATP rules. After Shapovalov complained about the punishment to the supervisor while being jeered by the fans, he screamed an expletive at the crowd as he believed he was being taunted by one spectator.
“He was just telling me to get off the court, get out of there, waving me off the court. Trying to obviously get under my skin or whatnot,” the Canadian told a news conference. “I think the umpire just needs to keep an eye on it if a player mentions something.”
The 23-year-old suggested tennis should follow the lead of other sports where disruptive fans are evicted from the stands.