Bitter Wimbledon star unloads on tournament chiefs after surprise defeat - 'It's a joke'

Denis Shapovalov has not enjoyed his grass-court season. It came to a disappointing end on Tuesday when he was sent packing by underdog Mariano Navone in the first round at Wimbledon, and he responded by blasting the conditions at the All England Club.

The tennis balls and the grass surface both came in for heavy criticism as Shapovalov said exactly what was on his mind after losing 6-3 4-6 1-6 4-6 on Court 17. And tournament organisers are unlikely to be pleased with his comments. "The balls are the worst," the Canadian ranted. "This grass-court tour has become a joke. This isn't grass. The court is slower than clay."

Shapovalov unloaded on the surface and the equipment laid on by Wimbledon bosses but he was also partly at fault for his surprise defeat. He served a whopping 11 double faults during the loss to Navone and only managed to direct 54 per cent of his first serves in.

The former world No. 10 made it all the way to the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 2021, but this has been an unhappy grass-court season for him from start to finish.

He suffered a first-round exit, which included a bagel in the deciding set, against Arthur Rinderknech at the Boss Open last month. And he only made it to the second round of the Halle Open the following week, losing to Flavio Cobolli. That means Shapovalov has rounded off his campaign on the grass with only one win and three defeats.

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Shapovalov is not the only player to have voiced concerns about the changing pace of modern tennis, even if others were more gentle in their approach. After battling to beat Alexandra Eala in round one, defending women's Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova said: "There's not enough water, and it gets really, really yellow, very, very fast.

"I think with the heat, yes, the grass is more like stopping. The game is just different [to] what you are normally used to."

Two-time women's champion Petra Kvitova added: "I'm not sure if it's only grass. Maybe it's the balls, as well. Overall it's getting slower."

And former world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, who booked her spot in the second round with a win over Polina Kudermetova on Tuesday, said: "It was slower, and kind of more slippery with the movement. With the change of the weather we will have to adjust every day to the different conditions."