It's unfair how much Rafa is getting away with: Shapovalov

Still struggling to cope with a tough five-set loss, Denis Shapovalov on Tuesday said Rafael Nadal receives preferential treatment on the court because of his legendary status and termed it “unfair how much he gets away with”.

“Of course. 100 percent he (Nadal) does. 100 percent,” the Canadian blonde said after going down 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 3-6 to the 20-time major champion in four hours and seven minutes in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.

The match on Rod Laver Arena, played under a hot afternoon sun, was filled with drama – Shapovalov’s brilliant fight back in the third and fourth sets, Nadal calling the doctor to treat a stomach problem before heading for a toilet break at the end of the fourth, and both players testing the limit of the shot clock.

READ ALSO: Australian Open: Rafael Nadal outlasts Denis Shapovalov in five-set thriller to reach semis

Chair umpire Carlos Bernardes, who at times seemed to start the shot clock a second or two later after calling points, was at the receiving end of the 14th seed’s ire as Shapovalov told him, “you guys are corrupt”.

The 22-year-old later said in the post-match press conference that he “misspoke” in the heat of the moment but stood by his complaint that the umpire gave Nadal too much leeway.

“I think I misspoke when I said he (umpire) is corrupt. It’s definitely emotional but I do stand by my side. I think it’s unfair, you know, how much Rafa is getting away with,” the stylish southpaw said.

“I mean, I’m completely ready to play and the clock is ticking 3, 2, 1, clicking towards zero, and I’m looking at the ump … and he tells me he’s not going to give him a code violation because I’m not ready to play. To me, it’s a big joke if somebody says that.

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“It’s like, where is the line? I respect everything that Rafa has done and I think he’s an unbelievable player. But, you know, there’s 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.

“Every other match that I have played, the pace has been so quick because the refs have been on the clock after every single point.

This one, after the first two sets it was like an hour and a half just because he’s dragged out so much after every single point.”

For the record, Shapovalov averaged 29 seconds on the clock between points and Nadal 31.

Shapovalov took objection to Nadal, at the end of the fourth set, calling the doctor and then proceeding for a bathroom break.

“I mean, literally for the same reason I wasn’t allowed to go to the washroom last year at the Australian Open because I had called a medical. I’m not arguing the fact that he had a medical or whatever it is, you know. But how can you get evaluated medically and have a toilet break at the same break and just causing so much delay in the game,” he wondered.

“I mean, it’s just not balanced, you know.”

At one point, when the Canadian was arguing with the umpire, Nadal, who was serving, went up and spoke to his opponent.

Shapovalov said the Spaniard “was just confused” as to what was going on. “He just asked me what happened. Then there was no problem,” he said.

Nadal, speaking with no malevolence and typically ending each statement with a negation, admitted he “was much slower than Shapovalov today”, but denied that he received preferential treatment during matches.

“I really believe that on the court you don’t deserve better treatment than the others. And I really don’t want it and I don’t feel I have it,” the 35-year-old said in the post-match press conference.

“I really believe that it’s always in the mind that the top players get bigger advantages, no, and honestly on court is not true, no? That’s my feeling.

“I never feel that I had advantages on court, and I really believe that he (Shapovalov) is wrong in that case, no?

“If I am not wrong, in the last couple of years we have a clock, we increase the measures to make the things more fair for everyone, no?

“I honestly feel sorry for him. I think he played a great match for a long time. It is tough to accept to lose a match like this …

“I wish him all the very best. He’s young, and I think we all make mistakes in our careers. I make a lot of mistakes too when I was younger, and probably he will understand later that probably he was not right today.”