In the Mubadala Citi D.C. Open quarterfinals in Washington, DC, Canadian tennis player Dennis Shapovalov made headlines when he lost by default and was disqualified against Ben Shelton. That being said, there have been previous instances of a tennis player defaulting.
Tennis players have been forced to withdraw from tournaments following a default on numerous occasions, ranging from well-known figures from the 1980s like John McEnroe to modern tennis stars like Novak Djokovic.
Let’s look at some of the most controversial defaults in tennis
1. Novak Djokovic
The 2020 US Open Round of 16 match between then-World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and Pablo Carreno Busta resulted in a default, which is one of the most contentious episodes of the past 20 years.
In the opening set, Djokovic was down 5–6 when he unintentionally struck a female line judge with a shot; as a result, she collapsed to the ground and was shown gasping for air. At that moment, the Serb ran to her rescue. He was dismissed from the Major as a result of this incident. He left the stadium right away, drawing criticism from many for not confronting the problem.
Although the deed was inadvertent, the Serb was required by the rules to be defaulted for the occurrence. It was one of the biggest scandals of the decade for a player of his calibre to be associated with such an event.
Later, he posted a statement on Instagram (via US Open) saying that Djokovic was penalised his prize money from the competition and that he lost all the points he had accrued at the 2020 US Open.
2. Denis Shapovalov
Tennis star Denis Shapovalov of Canada was the subject of the most recent default in tennis, an event that sparked conversation and debate among tennis enthusiasts.
In his quarterfinal encounter, Shapovalov was serving for the match against Ben Shelton, who was ahead 7-6 (5), 6-6, 6-3, when the Canadian hit his racket on the court many times and got into a furious dispute with a fan sitting in the stands.
Chair umpire Greg Allensworth decided to default Shapovalov after the altercation, a decision that Shelton, the opposing umpire, disagreed with. The latter seemed to insist that the contest be continued with the umpire. Shelton asserted that he heard the fan pressuring Shapovalov to start a fight.
In addition to losing all prize money and ranking points from the tournament, the Canadian was not given a favourable outcome, even though the ATP supervisor was called before the court to investigate the situation.
Many tennis fans and members of the tennis community spoke out in favour of Shapovalov and called for an amendment to the rule. A number of people stated that tennis players ought not to put up with hecklers and should instead be penalised by losing rankings and prize money in such cases.
3. John McEnroe
Tennis great John McEnroe was renowned for his numerous athletic achievements, but he was also well-known for his controversial and somewhat erratic personality.
One such event was McEnroe’s default due to unsportsmanlike behaviour at the Australian Open in 1990. He became the first tennis player to miss out on a Grand Slam since 1963 as a result.
In the fourth round of his match against Mikael Pernfors of Sweden, McEnroe was given three violations after the American gave rise to three distinct replies, which finally resulted in a default. The American, however, asserted that he was unaware that, before to 1990, the default rule had been three infractions instead of four.
McEnroe afterwards asserted that he might have been able to win the match if he had known the rule and had controlled himself.
4. Nick Kyrgios
The Australian player Nick Kyrgios has been embroiled in multiple scandals due to his unconventional on-court conduct. But Kyrgios was only defaulted for one occurrence due to his behaviour.
The incident happened during Kyrgios’ second-round match at the 2019 Italian Open against Casper Ruud, with the latter leading 6-3, 6-7, 2-1. Kyrgios also threw a chair and slammed his racket onto the court. After leaving the courtroom, he was declared in default.
In addition to losing 45 ATP points and €33,635 in prize money, he was also fined €20,000 for his three instances of unsportsmanlike behaviour.
5. Andrey Rublev
Andrey Rublev, a professional tennis player from Russia, gained notoriety earlier this year after he was disqualified from the Dubai Tennis Championships for reportedly using foul language and yelling at a line judge during his semifinal match against Alexander Bublik.
Chair umpire Miriam Bley forfeited the player when a Russian linesperson accused Rublev of insulting him in Russian during the third and final set, while he was behind 6-5.
Rublev claimed that he had been falsely accused of speaking in English rather than Russian after the event. Although the court did not reverse the ruling, he was later granted his points and tournament winnings back through an appeal.
Also Read: 5 Greatest Tennis Matches Of All Time
