OTTAWA, Ontario — Canadian tennis player Denis Shapovalov was fined US$7,000 on Monday, a day after unintentionally striking umpire Arnaud Gabas in the eye and immediately ending the Davis Cup tie against Britain.
The 17-year-old Shapovalov was trailing Kyle Edmund in the decisive fifth rubber 6-3, 6-4, 2-1 when he hit a spare ball in frustration and struck Gabas in the left eye. Shapovalov was immediately defaulted for unsportsmanlike conduct.
He did not intend to hit Gabas, and sought out Gabas in the referee's office to apologize, the International Tennis Federation said in a statement on Monday in issuing the fine. It added no more action was anticipated.
Gabas went to Ottawa General Hospital as a precaution, and apart from bruising there was no damage to his cornea or retina, the ITF said. Gabas will see his eye doctor on Tuesday in France.
"It's unacceptable behavior from me," Shapovalov said. "I feel incredibly ashamed and embarrassed. I feel awful for letting my team down, for letting my country down, for acting a way that I would never want to act.
"I can promise that's the last time I will do anything like that."
Britain won 3-2 to advance to a quarterfinal in France in April.
Canada faces a playoff in September to stay in the World Group next year.
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