Denis Shapovalov has been fined $7,000 by the International Tennis Federation because of his reckless action in a match against Great Britain's Kyle Edmund. The 17-year-old Canadian hit the French Umpire Arnaud Gabas during the third set of his eyes and was immediately defaulted. Though it was not unintentional but the referee had no other choice. Shapovalov could have been fined up to $12,000 but as it was not an intentional move and the player's remorse was also taken into account as reported by ESPN.
"Luckily he was OK but obviously it's unacceptable behavior from me," said Wimbledon junior champion Shapovalov. "I just feel awful for letting my team down, for letting my country down, for acting in a way that I would never want to act" as reported by BBC.
He also promised that this was the last time he has done anything unacceptable like this and he will learn from it. The ITF did not take any further step which could have been like imposing a larger amount of fine or even a ban but a spokesman for the governing body told Press Association that there was no more punishment for Shapovalov.
"Unfortunately for the young lad, this is going to get an awful lot of attention." Leon Smith, Great Britain's captain told about this whole scenario. "This will be looked at closely and it should be as it is dangerous. Whether it's an umpire or a young kid who's at the side of the court that really could be a serious injury, so I'm sure it will be dealt with swiftly and pretty firmly."
The Umpire Gabas was quickly taken to the Ottawa General Hospital and fortunately, there was no damage to his retina or cornea. He will be consulting his personal doctor in France of Tuesday for the further treatment.
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