Shapovalov vents at umpire during loss to Nadal: ‘You guys are all corrupt’

Denis Shapovalov respects everything Rafael Nadal has done in his career, but explains his frustration and belief that Nadal 100 percent receives preferential treatment from umpires, and how that took away his momentum heading into the 5th set.

Canada’s Denis Shapovalov certainly didn’t go down without a fight against one of the greatest players in tennis history.

The fiery Shapovalov wasn’t shy about voicing his displeasure during and after a 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3 loss to Rafael Nadal in a classic Australian Open quarterfinal on Tuesday.

Shapovalov had social media buzzing when he expressed his anger to umpire Carlos Bernardes over what he thought was Nadal getting too much time to serve after the first set.

While Shapovalov did apologize for his “corrupt” remark, he remained upset afterward about the way the match was officiated.

In particular, he wasn’t happy about the time Nadal received to deal with stomach issues later in the match.

“Where is the line? I respect everything that Rafa has done and I think he’s an unbelievable player. But there have got to be some boundaries, some rules set. It’s just so frustrating as a player. You feel like you’re not just playing against the player; you’re playing against the umpires, you’re playing against so much more,” Shapovalov said.

Nadal dismissed Shapovalov’s argument.

Shapovalov earned praise from Serena Williams’ coach for his play.

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