Vasek Pospisil has long been a champion of tennis players and on Sunday he did not hold back in denouncing the treatment of his compatriot Denis Shapovalov, disqualified for swearing at spectator after receiving warning in quarter-finals in WashingtonFriday.
Pospisil does not want to excuse Shapovalov’s actions and words at all, since the rules are clear: “You cannot break your racket or say bad words.”
For one of the co-founders, with Novak Djokovic, of the Association of Professional Tennis Players, an organization independent of the ATP, the problem lies in the fact that a disqualified player loses all the ranking points accumulated during the tournament as well as his purse.
Photo MARTIN CHEVALIER
“The consequences are the same if you accidentally kick the ball into the spectators or if you hit a fan in the head! […] “I think we can penalize the offending player, who already has no chance of winning the tournament, which is terrible, by giving him a fine,” Pospisil suggested during a press conference at the IGA stadium in Montreal.
“The rules have to change. It’s a shame and it’s not fair to lose everything after all the work done during the week,” he denounced in French before clarifying his thoughts in English.
“It’s a disgrace!”
The British Columbian targeted the ATP, regretting that only one point of view is sometimes taken into consideration to make a decision that can have serious consequences.
Photo MARTIN CHEVALIER
“I’ve often seen players in Challengers being fined for ridiculous situations. They have to pay $20,000 for bouncing their racket, when they don’t make a cent.”
“It’s a disgrace! Players have sacrificed their lives since the age of 5, training full time to reach this level. It’s one of the most demanding sports and you’re treated like that,” added the Canadian, who sees “frustration getting the better of him when he hears stories like that.”
“Maybe it’s time for me to retire!” he joked.
A penalty… for the’ATP?
Earlier this season, Andrey Rublev was disqualified in the semi-finals in Dubai for insulting a linesman in Russian – who said he understood the language – two inches from his face. After appealing his case, he was able to get his points and his prize money back.
“Where is the penalty for the ATP or the linesman?” Pospisil asked. […] The problem is that the organization does not understand, because the majority of the leaders have not played.”
Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov already suffered the same fate in 2016, on a match point during the final in Istanbul. His exclusion after breaking three rackets allowed Argentinian Diego Schwartzman to claim a first triumph.
“Did I deserve it? Absolutely!” Dimitrov admitted Saturday during the draw revealing the main draw in Montreal. “It’s kind of the nature of our sport, we reach high levels of emotion.”
“It was his first title and I apologized in the locker room,” said the world number 10 player, who promised himself “never to do something like that again.”
Against the 22nd in the world
Coming back to Pospisil, he mainly played on the Challenger circuit, the antechamber of the ATP, this season, losing in particular in mid-July in the first round in Granby.
The 34-year-old veteran was honoured to receive a pass into the main draw from the Montreal organisers and will face American Sebastian Korda, ranked 22nd in the world. The latter was due to play in the final in Washington.
“Every match this week will be tough because I haven’t competed much on the court. This is the first time since last February that my body is good and I can serve normally. It changes everything, both physically and mentally. You just have to find momentum and leave it all on the court. Honestly, it’s positive because it’s been a long time since I felt like this on the court,” Pospisil said optimistically.
