Italian doubles specialist Andrea Vavassori, currently ranked sixth in the ATP doubles rankings, has voiced his displeasure regarding a contentious situation with American tennis player Ben Shelton. The incident occurred during their doubles match at the Monte Carlo Masters tournament.
“Shelton`s behavior was generally unacceptable to me,” Vavassori stated. “The ball is now in his court. If he approaches me and apologizes for ridiculing my rib injury, I will readily forgive him. I am always willing to forgive and can quickly move past such incidents, but he must be the one to initiate the apology. I will not be taking the first step. During the match, I cautioned him to be more careful with his powerful shots at close range, as he could potentially injure an opponent. In my case, he did injure my rib. I was angered by the injury, and upon reviewing the footage, I was further upset to see him making fun of me. He not only harmed me but then proceeded to mock me,” Vavassori explained to Tennis World Italia.
To recap, the dispute unfolded during a second-round doubles match at the Monte Carlo Masters between Ben Shelton and Rohan Bopanna against Andrea Vavassori and Simone Bolelli. Vavassori repeatedly protested Shelton`s aggressive style of play, which resulted in a shot impacting his body. Subsequently, Vavassori was forced to withdraw from the ATP 500 tournament in Barcelona due to a rib contusion.
Rupert Hartwell