Shapovalov Fined Over Davis Cup Default

February 7, 2017

Canadian tennis player Dennis Shapovalov has been fined £5,600 after hitting an umpire with a ball during a Davis Cup tie.

The 17-year-old was trailing Britain’s Kyle Edmund during a singles match when he struck a ball in frustration and hit umpire Arnaud Gabas. The teenager defaulted the match due to the incident, which handed the overall victory to Great Britain.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) have announced that no further action is expected, with it clear that Shapalov did not intentionally harm the umpire.

Shapovalov, who had just dropped serve when the incident happened, said he feels “incredibly ashamed and embarrassed”.

“I just feel awful for letting my team down, for letting my country down, for acting in a way that I would never want to act,” he added.

“I can promise that’s the last time I will do anything like that. I’m going to learn from this and try to move past it.”