‘Shut the f*** up’: Tennis star Denis Shapovalov goes ballistic at Italian crowd

Denis Shapovalov told the Italian crowd to “shut the f*** up” when he was loudly booed for losing his cool against a homegrown hero.

Denis Shapovalov lost his cool.

The 23-year-old tennis star loudly shouted “shut the f*** up” to the crowd watching his first round Italian Open match after they began to boo him. Fans were frustrated by Shapovalov’s ongoing tiffs with the chair umpire as he complained to officials about calls going against him.

Watch Tennis Live with beIN SPORTS on Kayo. Live Coverage of ATP + WTA Tour Tournaments including Every Finals Match. New to Kayo? Try 14-Days Free Now >

The New York Post reports Shapovalov was fighting to remain in the second set of the match against Italian Lorenzo Sonego after winning the first in a tie-break. The umpire had already warned the Canadian about crossing the net and Shapovalov lost it when he was dealt a point penalty at a critical moment, causing him to lash out.

“I was just showing you the mark,” Shapovalov yelled at the umpire.

A tournament official was called in to mitigate further escalation.

The umpire told Shapovalov “that’s just the rule” and the ace quickly fired back: “No it’s not, it’s stupid.”

As Shapovalov continued to verbally spar with the umpire, fans lost patience with his antics as they were rooting for their countryman. They loudly booed the world No. 16, which caused the flare-up from Shapovalov in which he swore at the stands.

Shapovalov failed to keep his emotions in check throughout the remainder of the second set. Obviously still heated from his altercations with the umpire and the crowd, he dropped the second set 3-6 only to roar back to a 6-3 win in the third set to clinch the match.

Shapovalov will return to the court on Wednesday to compete in the Round of 32.

Denis Shapovalov was fired up. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

This article first appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission