The Australian Open quarter-final between Denis Shapovalov and Rafael Nadal was an epic five-setter that had everybody’s heart racing. The 20-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal struggled through a stomach problem to come out victorious.

Despite taking the first two sets off of his Canadian opponent, Nadal lost the subsequent two sets. Thus, it was only deep into the match, in the fifth set, that he prevailed. However, his opponent had sharp words for the chair umpire, who he accused of letting Rafa get away with extra time between games.

Surprisingly, Serena Williams’ coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, came out and agreed with the Canadian.

Mouratoglou believes players like Rafael Nadal exert pressure on umpires

Denis Shapovalov called out the ‘special treatment’ he believed umpire Carlos Bernardes was giving to Rafael Nadal. Even though Nadal himself cleared up in his post-match conference that it was a matter of common sense, coach Patrick Mouratoglou believes otherwise.

Speaking to Tennis Majors, Mouratoglou stated that “there is a lot of pressure” on chair umpires when they umpire top players on the circuit, “who are legends”. 

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However, it is not just because of the legendary status of these players. It is also because “they put a lot of pressure on the chair umpires,” per Mouratoglou.

Moreover, Mouratoglou sympathizes with Denis, saying he “can totally understand that Denis could feel that it was unfair”. In fact, Mouratoglou also described how umpire Bernardes has had tussles with Rafael Nadal in the past, as well.

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According to Mouratoglou, it puts a lot of pressure on the chair umpire, knowing that “a superstar is going to shout at you in front of millions of people.” “It’s not easy to handle,” he said.

But isn’t that an umpire’s job?

Of course, one can argue that taking on the pressure and calling players out on violations is a part of the umpire’s job description.

Mouratoglou does agree that it is indeed the umpire’s job to keep even the topmost players in line. In fact, he stated that even if not on purpose, the “top players sometimes get special treatment”.

Moreover, any players, legends included “do what is good for them” when they are playing a match. “If Rafa feels he needs more time because he’s tired,” he would attempt to do so in order to recover.

Even if the chair umpire would give Rafael Nadal or another player a code violation, the player would have to accept it. However, “if the chair umpire doesn’t do it, then it’s not fair,” Mouratoglou stated.

Talking about the new rules about bathroom breaks and time between games, Mouratoglou praised both new additions. However, he also suggested that there be a time limit between the first and the second serves, as Rafa “takes so much time between the first and second,” which does not make sense to the French coach of Serena Williams and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Do you think Rafa gets away with more than he should? Or are Shapovalov’s complaints just the angry rants of a player who was losing?

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