Famous journalist Ben Rothenberg, who is known for covering Naomi Osaka on the ATP tour, recently faced quite a bit of backlash from tennis fans. This reaction was a result of Rothenberg’s reply to Denis Shapovalov’s statement after the Washington Open controversy.
After Shapovalov faced a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct at the CITI Open, he released a statement condemning the decision made by the officials. He also revealed that he had appealed to the ATP, who took immediate action.
On top of it, the former world number 10 expressed his gratitude to his fans for their support and called for stricter rules against abusive spectators. However, from the looks of it, Rothenberg didn’t agree with Denis and believed the Canadian should have apologized since it was his fault.
Replying to Shapovalov’s tweet, Osaka’s author wrote,
“This is so many words, and yet none of them are any kind of apology, huh.”
This comment clearly shows Ben’s disagreement with the Canadian and he believes that the latter should apologize for his actions rather than justifying them through long statements.
This is so many words and yet none of them are any kind of apology, huh. https://t.co/iKF5ZegRjh
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) August 6, 2024
However, Rothenberg’s comment did not sit well with fans, who claimed there was no reason for the Canadian to apologize. Fans also condemned Rothenberg for asking for an apology when it wasn’t Shapovalov’s fault in the beginning.
This entire incident started when Shapovalov was playing his quarter-final against Shelton and was down by 3-6 in the tiebreaker of the second set while having lost the first set already. After losing the sixth point in the tiebreaker, the Canadian player threw his racquet on the ground furiously. Moreover, he also got involved in a heated exchange with a spectator at the same time.
This prompted the chair umpire to not just issue a code violation but also call an ATP supervisor to the court to look into the matter. Shapovalov was even heard telling the chair umpire, “Give me a code, but don’t call the supervisor.”
During the intense discussion with the referee, the former world number 10 tried to explain that it was the spectator who tried to provoke him and his response was just a retaliation to what was said. Still, the supervisor’s ultimate decision was to disqualify him, and as a result, Shelton won the match.
Well, Shapovalov decided to appeal against the decision, as a result of which the prize money and points deducted from his account were added back by the ATP. However, he has been fined $36,400 due to the code violation.
