The Shanghai Masters has returned to China this week with some major stars competing in the ATP 1000 event. While the focus remains on the performance on the courts, this tournament hasn't gone without its share of big controversies over the years. From Roger Federer earning a rare punishment in 2019 and an eight-week suspension for Nick Kyrgios, there have been several major talking points in China since the tournament's inception in 2009.
Nick Kyrgios' two-month ban and walkout
In 2016, Kyrgios was fined thousands and banned for two months for his conduct at the Shanghai Masters. During his second-round match against Mischa Zverev, the Australian walked off the court during live rallies, made soft serves and engaged in an argument with a spectator.
Kyrgios' behaviour was considered "tanking," which means showing disinterest and giving minimal effort on the court. He got into an argument with a fan who criticised his effort, saying post-match: "I don't owe them anything. It's my choice. If you don't like it, I didn't ask you to come watch. Just leave."
As a result, he was issued penalties for 'conduct contrary to the integrity of the game,' which included a £25,000 fine and an eight-week suspension from the ATP Tour. This was later reduced to three weeks after he visited a sports psychologist to undergo a 'care plan.'
Kyrgios walks off again
A year later, Kyrgios grabbed headlines again as he walked off the court during his first-round match against Steve Johnson. He was handed a point penalty in the opening set for an audible obscenity, losing the first - and only - tiebreak.
After the set was complete, Kyrgios shook hands with his opponent and the umpire before striding off the court without giving a reason. He later cited a stomach bug but didn't seek medical attention. The Australian had his prize money taken away, plus an extra £7,500 for unsportsmanlike conduct.
In a statement, Kyrgios said: "I’ve been battling a stomach bug for the last 24 hours and I tried to be ready but I was really struggling on the court, which I think was pretty evident from the first point. My shoulder started to hurt in the practice today, which didn’t help."
Federer's rare point penalty
In 2019, Federer lost his cool during a quarter-final defeat to Alexander Zverev and was deducted a point for unsportsmanlike conduct - an extremely rare penalty for him. After hitting a ball towards the crowd, umpire Nacho Forcadell penalised the Swiss tennis star as he said: "Code violation. Unsportsmanlike conduct, point penalty, Mr Federer."
Federer was left incensed by the situation and engaged in several heated disputes with the umpire over his punishment. He eventually fell 6-3, 6-7(7), 6-3 to his German opponent and refused to discuss the incident post-match. He simply said: "It would be nice to write something nice once also about the game… Next question."
Marc Polmans' Shanghai disqualification
The Shanghai Masters had to wait four more years before the next big headline hit the papers. During the final qualifying round between Stefano Napolitano and Marc Polmans in 2023, the latter failed to win a match point right at the net. He swung the ball away and accidentally hit the umpire, Ben Smits, in the face. Under ATP rules, Polmans was at fault for unsportsmanlike conduct and faced immediate disqualification.
Napolitano was awarded the win and advanced to the main draw. Following the match, Polmans confirmed he had apologised to the umpire as he wrote on X: "An update from me – the umpire, Ben, has accepted my apology for my actions. He knows it was unintentional, and I shanked the ball on the frame in frustration in the heat of the moment. We both move on. It was a high-pressure situation and I should have reacted better."
Ball quality protest and X-rated outburst
There were two big controversies in 2024. Daniil Medvedev was facing Thiago Seyboth Wild in the second round when he called for an ATP supervisor to complain about the quality of the tennis balls. Medvedev said: "These balls are not good enough for professional tennis. This is one of the biggest tournaments in the world and the balls are destroyed after five games. No pressure at all."
Despite this frustration, the Russian won the match 7-5 and signed the TV camera lens with the words 'Nice balls' as a callback to his previous protest. That same year, Frances Tiafoe directed an X-rated tirade at the umpire after losing to Roman Safiullin in the third round. The American shook his opponent's hand before turning to umpire Jimmy Pinoargote and exclaiming: "F*** you, f*** you, man. Seriously, f*** you, f****** idiot. You screwed up the match, do your f****** job. Three f***** hours, I'm fighting and running for my life.
He added: "You’re going to be on the f***ing blacklist for my matches. Never again. Literally had it out for me today. F***ing insane," before storming off the court. He was fined over £90,000 for verbal abuse and aggravated behaviour. In the hours after the loss, Tiafoe apologised for his outburst as he said: "That is not who I am and not how I want to treat people. I let my frustration in the heat of the moment get the best of me and I’m extremely disappointed with how I handled the situation."
Racket-throwing incident
The final controversy on this list happened at the latest edition of the Shanghai Masters and resulted in zero punishment. Terence Atmane hurled his racket after missing a shot against Bernard Tomic in their qualifying match. Because the tennis equipment narrowly missed the spectators, Atmane avoided disqualification. After losing the match, the Frenchman took to social media to apologise for his actions.
Atmane said: "I like to take the chance to apologise regarding my bad behaviour yesterday. Being inside the top 40 a month ago and seeing myself almost out of the top 100 made me way more stressed and pressured than I could possibly imagine. It doesn’t excuse me for my bad behaviour, and after considering what happened on court for these past weeks, I’ve decided to take a step back and rebuild myself from 0."
