FURIOUS Denis Shapovalov screamed "shut the f*** up" at the Italian Open crowd as he exploded in rage at the umpire.
The hot-headed Canadian, 23, took on local hero Lorenzo Sonego in the first round in Rome.
And after taking a marathon 91-minute first set on a tie-break, Shapovalov was serving at 3-4 down in the second.
His second serve at deuce was tight to the centre line but called in as Sonego almost stopped and pushed the return wide before immediately complaining.
The umpire confirmed it was wide, awarding a double fault and therefore putting Sonego advantage up.
Shapo was incensed, marching up to the net and gesticulating towards a mark he believed was in.
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The tennis world No16 had already received a warning earlier in the match but then climbed over the net to make his point.
But players are not allowed to cross the net – therefore earning him a point penalty from chair umpire Richard Hague.
Hague said: "Denis, Denis, listen. Because you crossed the net, you're going to get another code violation.
"You can't cross the net."
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Shapovalov replied in disbelief: "No way, I was just showing you the mark. I wasn't doing anything unsportsmanlike. How can you give me a point penalty?
"Can't you call the supervisor because that's bulls***."
Hague continued almost apologetically as he followed the letter of the law: "I know exactly what you were doing.
"That's just the rule."
Shapovalov added: "No it's not. That's stupid. That's so unfair."
When the supervisor did arrive, increasingly-irate Shapovalov told him: "I wasn't doing anything offensive.
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"I was showing him the mark because he couldn't see it. This is so stupid."
But as the supervisor backed up the umpire's decision, the partizan Italian crowd's boos got louder and louder towards the 2021 Wimbledon semi-finalist.
And Shapovalov completely lost his call, turning towards the crowd and bellowing: "Shut the f*** up," while waving his arm angrily as the red mist descended and he lost the plot.
That intensified the raucous atmosphere even more as they whistled and jeered, but he did not get a further code violation for the verbal obscenity which would have awarded Sonego the next game and therefore the second set.
Composed Hague explained the situation over the tannoy system, with the code violation point penalty handing Sonego the crucial break of serve.
Sonego, 26, held his serve to take the second 6-3 and level the match.
'MY MISTAKE'
But Shapovalov somehow regained his focus in the third set to take the decider and complete a bonkers 7-6 3-6 6-3 win in three hours and ten minutes on court.
At the net, there was an amicable hug between the who players and the victor showed class by apologising to Hague as they shook hands.
Shapovalov said in his interview: "I had to calm myself down after my mistake in the second set. I guess at least now I know the rules."
Prime Video pundit Tim Henman added: "It's one of those rules as a professional player, you know you can only go round the net at the change of ends."
In 2017, Shapovalov was disqualified in a Davis Cup match against Great Britain for striking a ball in anger which accidentally whacked the chair umpire in the eye.
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And at the Australian Open this year, he got into an explosive row with the umpire during his defeat to Rafael Nadal.
He branded Carlos Bernardes "corrupt" for not giving the eventual champion a code violation as he struggled with stomach pains.
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