Shapovalov incident a wake-up call for players: Murray

World number one Andy Murray believes Denis Shapovalov's Davis Cup default will serve as a "wake-up call for all players".

Published : Feb 10, 2017 16:41 IST

Umpire Arnaud Gabas after being hit in the face with a ball by DenisShapovalov
Umpire Arnaud Gabas after being hit in the face with a ball by DenisShapovalov
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Umpire Arnaud Gabas after being hit in the face with a ball by DenisShapovalov

World number one Andy Murray believes Denis Shapovalov's Davis Cup default will serve as a "wake-up call for all players".

Canadian Shapovalov was defaulted in extraordinary circumstances on Sunday in the decisive Davis Cup rubber with Great Britain's Kyle Edmund after he unintentionally fired a ball into the face of umpire Arnaud Gabas in an act of frustration after losing a point.

His indiscretion handed the tie to Great Britain and Shapovalov has since been fined $7,000.

Murray has long been known as one of the ATP Tour's more passionate players, but the three-time grand slam champion feels the fall-out from Shapovalov's loss of cool is a lesson to others to keep emotions in check.

"For sure it is a wake-up call for all players," Murray told Sky Sports News. "It was shocking – I have never seen anything like that before. I am still not sure exactly how he managed to do that.

"You can't always control your emotions. And that is a situation that was close to being very dangerous.

"The umpire was obviously very lucky, but he is okay and Denis is lucky as well that he didn't do any more damage than he did. It is a freak incident.

"It is very difficult to know what the right thing is. I think an incident like that you could suspend him, you could fine him more money, but I think him actually doing that, I don't think you will see him do anything like that ever again.

"It will have been shocking to him. I am sure he totally regrets what he did. I think the embarrassment will almost be enough for him to learn from that and make sure it never happens again."

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