Denis Shapovalov has spoken in length about the regret he feels about the incident at the Davis Cup tie between Great Britain and Canada in Ottawa.
The seventeen year-old speaking on BBC radio said “I know how dangerous it can be to fire a ball,” he told the BBC. “My first concern was that the referee was OK. I turned over and saw the official bending down, holding his eye. So from that moment on I was in complete shock and regret right away. I kind of blacked out for the next 10 minutes maybe. I remember going to the bench, asking if the ref’s OK.”
Shapovalov also confirmed that he understood how serious the incident was :”I’ve been hit several times in the eye and other parts, so I know how dangerous it is.”
“I’m very lucky he is OK. If things had gone worse I don’t think I would have been able to forgive myself and I don’t think I would be able to move past it. I’m hoping I’ll learn from it and move forward so that it is a lesson for me.”
The Canadian, who was down two sets and a break to Britain’s Kyle Edmund, also apologised to the British team: “I feel bad that I didn’t allow the British team to have the celebration that they deserved,”
Shapovalov has since been fined by the International Tennis Federation, as it is their jurisdiction, and not that of the Association of Tennis Professionals, who manage ATP events including the Challenger Tour, 250s, 500s, Masters 1000s and the ATP World Tour Finals.
