While tennis players have a ritual of signing the camera lens after winning a match, the same lens can be disconcerting after a loss. Novak Djokovic had a similar moment at the French Open, and it was Denis Shapovalov’s turn at the Libema Open as he snapped at the cameraman. The limits of camera coverage on court and even off-court have been a matter of discussion this year, and the recent incident only proves that.

Shapovalov won the first set against the former World No. 3 Marin Cilic, but the left-hander succumbed to a three-set loss, leading to a bit of confrontation with the cameraman.

“Why do you have to film me when I lose? Why? Just put the camera away, please,” Shapovalov was heard saying on court as the cameraman moved in for a close shot of him after his loss.

However, the match began well for Shapovalov, as both players had one service break each in the first set, sending it to a tiebreak, where the Canadian showed his clutch mentality to clinch the set.

Shapovalov used the momentum to break Cilic’s serve twice at the beginning of the second set, taking a 3-0 lead. This was when the level dipped for Shapovalov, as Cilic broke serve three times to turn the match around, winning the second set 6-4. The third set saw Shapovalov get the first break once again, leading 4-2, and then 5-4.

Despite having the opportunity to win the match on his serve, he got broken, after which Cilic wrapped up the next two games to win the set 7-5 and secure the victory. It was a sloppy performance by Shapovalov, who made almost 50 unforced errors and often missed key shots in crucial moments.

Shapovalov’s outburst reflects a growing tension in tennis. In his recent match against Joao Fonseca at the French Open,  Novak Djokovic was visibly upset at one of the cameras being too close to him after the Serb went to the bench after winning the set.

Earlier this year, Coco Gauff was also filmed at the Australian Open, where the American was seen smashing her racket after the match, which invited criticism from some quarters as Gauff wanted to be in her private space after a tough loss.

Even though Shapovalov‘s confrontation with the cameraman at the Libema Open did not escalate, he has been known for his on-court temper in the past.

Denis Shapovalov Has Had His Share of Volatile Moments on Court

Shapovalov has been known for his temper tirades since the beginning of his career, as he was guilty of hitting the chair umpire while hitting a ball in frustration at the 2017 Davis Cup in a tie against Great Britain. As a result of his individual action, Team Canada was disqualified, including a hefty fine for Shapovalov.

Shapovalov kept getting in trouble in his career. In a more recent match against Ben Shelton in 2024, he engaged in a verbal spat with a heckler in the audience as his opponent was about to serve for the match on match point. The chair umpire accordingly issued a code violation to Shapovalov, which ultimately led to the Canadian being disqualified from the match.

The 2026 season has been going pretty woefully for the former Top-10 player, who has an 8-12 win-loss record for the season. The Libema Open loss was Shapovalov’s seventh opening-round exit in 12 events in the season. The one meaningful run he had was at the Dallas Open, where he was the defending champion, but lost to Ben Shelton in the semifinal. His results this year can be considered a backward step, given that he won two titles last year and reached two semifinals.