Denis Shapovalov is not taking his fine for his default at the 2024 Citi Open lightly, and he has vowed to contest the fine, despite the ATP already reducing his punishment.
A few days ago, Shapovalov was competing at the Citi Open in Washington, where he was one of the top-performing players. Unfortunately, his run came to an abrupt end when he was disqualified from his match after an altercation with a spectator.
Many people believed that the ruling was excessively severe, and some fellow players came to his defense on social media. Shapovalov himself was not pleased with the decision. However, the ATP supported the umpire by affirming that his actions were correct and in accordance with the rules.
Nevertheless, the organization lessened the penalty for Shapovalov, allowing him to keep his prize money and earned points, as a more severe punishment would have been unjust.
He still received a $36,400 fine, which he is not happy about. In Montreal, Shapovalov expressed to the media that the entire situation was too harsh. He disagreed with the ruling but appreciated that the organization reinstated his prize money and points after reviewing the incident.
“It has been an eventful couple of days. It was incredibly difficult for me. I felt extremely stressed afterward. I had trouble sleeping. I am grateful that the committee decided to restore my points and money.”
“I believe what happened was definitely unfair. I used inappropriate language, but it was not directed at anyone. I did not commit any violations during the match. This could have easily been a violation for verbal obscenity or something similar.”
Shapovalov prides himself on being a fair and respectful player, so being disqualified from a match was extremely challenging for him to accept. He is certainly unhappy with the fine he received.
He admitted to the Montreal media that he would attempt to contest it, but it seems unlikely that he will be able to significantly reduce it. He certainly cannot eliminate it because fines are imposed for code violations, and that is how the rules are established.
“I also received a substantial fine. So I am going to try to challenge that. I deserve some form of fine for using inappropriate language, but I believe the amount is excessive for something that hardly anyone heard. I will do my best to discuss it and contest it if possible. And, yeah, we will go from there.”
There is not much time to dwell on what occurred in Washington, as Shapovalov is now back in Canada for the ATP Masters 1000 event in Montreal. His focus will be on that tournament as he aims to continue his strong performance and potentially earn more points in his journey to return to the Top 20, where he once stood.
Photo from Denis Shapovalov Instagram
