It's not easy winning a match in a Grand Slam tournament, especially against an all-time great like Rafael Nadal. And for Denis Shapovalov, it's even harder when the umpires are not being completely fair, with regards to the leash they give to players when it comes to rests in between points and sets. After losing to Nadal in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, Shapovalov openly expressed his dismay over how the match was managed by the umpires.

Via ESPN:

“I respect everything that Rafa has done, and I think he's an unbelievable player. But, you know, there's got to be some boundaries, some rules set,” Shapovalov said. “It's just so frustrating as a player. You feel like you're not just playing against the player; you're playing against the umpires, you're playing against so much more.”

Shapovalov's run in the 2022 Australian ended in a 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 3-6 loss to Nadal, which he obviously accepts but he was not going to let it go without speaking his mind. His frustration might have gotten the better of him when he spoke to the media, but the Ukrainian-Canadian, but at only 22 years old, he's definitely got plenty of time to make up for this loss.

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This run was the deepest in his Australian Open career. The furthest he's reached before in the tourney was the Round of 32, which he did twice.

As for Nadal, he's due to face Matteo Berrettini in the semifinals on Thursday.