"If this was Serena Williams, 2-game penalty, $1m fine, 6-month ban, deduct 3 Grand Slam titles" - Tennis fans react to Denis Shapovalov's Italian Open outburst

Denis Shapovalov's outburst during his first-round encounter at the 2022 Italian Open has drawn some very strong reactions from the tennis community on social media.

Fans did not take too well to Shapovalov's obscenity aimed at the packed stadium crowds, cheering for the Canadian's opponent Lorenzo Sonego.

Most reactions on Twitter, however, focussed on the lack of disciplinary action taken against Shapovalov -- who is no stranger to on-court outbursts. Fans were quick to draw parallels to Serena Williams receiving harsher penalties for her outburst at the 2018 US Open.

A Twitter user joked that Williams would have been awarded a multiple-game penalty, a hefty fine and been banned from the sport for six months had she acted in a manner akin to Shapovalov.

"If this was Serena Williams, 2 games penalty. $1M fine, 6 months ban, deduct 3 Grand Slam titles," a user wrote on Twitter.

Another user, echoing the sentiment, highlighted the privilege accorded to white male athletes -- a view previously put forth by Williams' husband, Alexis Ohanian, earlier this year.

"Now if a woman, or more specifically a black woman, or MORE specifically Serena Williams did this… hmmmmm," the user wrote.

Notably, Williams faced widespread backlash for her "you're a thief" rant targeted at chair umpire Carlos Ramos during the 2018 US Open final, where she played Naomi Osaka. Members of the tennis fraternity, including Osaka herself, have since pointed out the sexist undertones of the controversy and the global reactions to it.

Shapovalov went on to win a dramatic encounter against Sonego 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-3 after three hours and 11 minutes to progress to the second round.

"Denis Shapovalov has just not improved his attitude" - Tennis fans on Twitter

Shapovalov at the Internazionali BNL D'Italia 2022.

Fans also highlighted past incidents involving Shapovalov, saying that the youngster has shown very little growth when it comes to his on-court behavior over the years.

"Denis Shapovalov has just not improved his attitude and temper. He is still the same, spoilt kid who needs to take more steps with calming himself down," a user wrote.

A section of fans, however, had a more sympathetic view of the entire situation. Replying to a video of the incident, a Twitter user said Shapovalov was "respectful" in general and highlighted the heckling that he underwent at the hands of the robust Italian crowd.

A few fans, meanwhile, resorted to humor. One took to Twitter to share a video of the Canadian screaming at the crowd, captioning it:

"Me when someone who knows nothing about tennis tell me it's boring," the Twitter user wrote.