Denis Shapovalov was the talking point on Day 9 of the Australian Open 2022. The Canadian lost his quarterfinals match-up to the 20-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal in an intriguing encounter.

The 22-year-old gave it his all but could not keep his calm at crucial junctures in the match and eventually bowed out of the tournament.

The Canadian vented out his frustration several times in the match. Further, he even argued with the chair umpire, as he was not happy with Rafael Nadal slowing him down. However, Patrick Mouratoglou, Serena Williams’ coach, has backed Shapovalov in this episode.

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What did Patrick Mouratoglou say about Denis Shapovalov?

The French tennis coach agreed with the Canadian’s claims of ‘unfair treatment’. He said, “Maybe the emotion of the moment got him and he went a bit far, but he means that most of the chair umpires struggle to treat everyone the same and I agree with that.”

The 22-year-old was involved in a heated moment after losing the first set 6-3. He was not pleased with the time Rafael Nadal was taking in between serves. Subsequently, he made this point known to the chair umpire Carlos Bernardes. Shapovalov said, “He just takes so long, I was ready to serve.” He even went on to say that Nadal should be given a warning.

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Looking clearly displeased, he even added, “You guys are all corrupt.” This was indicated at the chair umpire after he felt that Nadal should have been handed a penalty for a time violation.

Further, the chair umpire firmly replied to the Canadian, “Why you look at me? There are eight seconds to play. What do you want?”

In a match that lasted 4 hours and 8 minutes at the Rod Laver Arena, the Spaniard battled past the 22-year-old in a 5-setter thriller. The 20-time Grand Slam champion took the first two sets. However, the Canadian fought hard and leveled the match. With the match going into the deciding 5th set, Nadal used his experience to knock out the 14th seed.

However, Shapovalov would be eager to make amends and come back stronger in the coming tournaments. Further, he has already confirmed his participation at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. We look forward to watching the Canadian back in action soon.

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