Denis Shapovalov was defaulted from the 2024 Citi Open in Washington, which prompted a couple of fellow tennis players to defend him.
Disqualifications, or defaults, rarely happen in tennis, but they do happen when something bad happens. This Shapovalov's default would rank fairly low on that scale because clashing with a spectator isn't something that registers as a grave offense or that we haven't seen before.
Spats between players and spectators occasionally happen in tennis because some spectators take things too far. Shapovalov clashed with a spectator during his most recent match at the Citi Open, which resulted in a disqualification, leaving many confused.
Chiefly among those confused was the Canadian, who obviously couldn't believe what was happening. However, the decision was made, and he had to leave the court as a consequence, forfeiting his prize money and points as a result.
Since then, a few players chimed in to give their reactions to the situation, backing their colleague Shapovalov. One of them was Christopher Eubanks, who is generally known as a very respectable player on the ATP Tour.
He had a relatively funny take on the matter, admitting that he didn't even know what the Canadian could possibly say to a spectator to get defaulted, which is a great overview of how bizarre the situation is.
"I’m curious what you can possibly say to a spectator that’ll get you defaulted."
Another player who reacted to the situation was Alexander Bublik, who was no stranger to controversies. He's had a few interesting moments both on and off the courts, and he was not a fan of this default.
In a social media post, he called it 'nonsense' and explained that spectators are allowed far too much compared to athletes. He even poked fun at the situation by saying players will soon get regulated for looking the wrong way at a spectator.
"We back to complete nonsense again? Next time we going to get defaulted because we looked at the spectator the "wrong way" but they can do and say whatever they want?"
On the other hand, asked after the match, also Shapovalov's opponent at the ATP 500 tournament in Washington, Ben Shelton, wasn't really keen on talking about what happened on the court.
"No, I mean, it is what it is. I think it was a tough situation all around. I don't really have any other comments on that situation. Just looking forward to the semifinals. Love to talk about the tennis or the tennis that's going to be played tomorrow. I just kind of want to let it rest."
As unfortunate as it is, the Canadian will need to get over it quickly because he will be competing at his home event in Montreal very soon. The situation does create a talking point that will need to be revisited in the future because incidents with the crowd have become common in tennis, and they're not acceptable, from either side.