Denis Shapovalov snaps back at heckling Italian Open fans: 'Shut the f--- up'

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Denis Shapovalov managed to survive a point penalty in the first round of the Italian Open on Monday to defeat Lorenzo Sonego 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-3.

He received the penalty when he hopped over the net to show the umpire a mark on his opponent’s side of the red clay court – an action that is not permitted. The umpire determined Shapovalov’s serve was out in a double fault and he later lost the game.

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Denis Shapovalov celebrates a point against Andy Murray at the Madrid Open in Spain, Tuesday, May 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

After hearing heckling during the moment, Shapovalov told the crowd to "shut the f--- up."

The umpire said he wasn’t going to kick the fan out.

"I’m not going to kick him out because I didn’t see what he was doing," the umpire said. "I saw you talking to him, and you incited it a little bit. I understand you’re frustrated."

Shapovalov, from Canada, would later apologize to the umpire and say he loved playing in front of the Italian fans.

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Lorenzo Sonego returns the ball to Denis Shapovalov during their match at the Italian Open in Rome, Monday, May 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

"Obviously I think it's a heat-of-the-moment kind of thing. I just need to improve with handling myself about that," he said, via Yahoo Sports. "But in terms of going forward, I've played in Rome a lot of times. The fans love me here and I love the fans... Even after the match, there were a lot of people standing, waiting for pictures, stuff like that.

"I do really appreciate the support and the love I get here. I'm super