Denis Shapovalov Loses Cool at Cameraman for Filming Him After Libema Open Disappointment

Denis Shapovalov couldn’t reach the second round of the Libema Open as he lost to Marin Cilic 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-5 in the opening round on Monday (June 8). It was the fourth consecutive time that the Canadian ace lost in the opening round after the Madrid Open, Italian Open, and the French Open.

The last time he won a match was against Fabian Marozsan in the round of 16 of the Munich Open. After his exit in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Shapovalov was greatly frustrated and ended up lashing out at the cameraman.

Why do you have to film me when I lose? Why? Just put the camera away, please.

Denis Shapovalov perdió y se enojó con un ¡¡¡CAMARÓGRAFO!!!

🗣 "¿Por qué tienes que filmarme cuando pierdo? ¿Por qué? Guarda la cámara, por favor"

💀☠️💀pic.twitter.com/Ep0Wj3Qbis https://t.co/wSpIo36B1s

— Tiempo De Tenis (@Tiempodetenis1) June 8, 2026

He is also competing in doubles alongside compatriot Felix Auger-Aliassime. The Canadian aces will lock horns with Petr Nouza and Neil Oberleitner in the first round.

Shapovalov, the winner of four singles titles, has yet to reach a final this season. His best performance this season was his run to the semifinals of the Dallas Open, where eventual champion Ben Shelton knocked him out in three sets.

Last year, the 27-year-old reached two finals and won both. He clinched the Dallas Open against three-time Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud and later went past Aleksandar Kovacevic in the Los Cabos Open final.

Shapovalov is a Wimbledon semifinalist. Back in 2021, he made the last four and lost the match to eventual champion Novak Djokovic. Since that run, he has made just one more quarterfinal appearance at the Majors (at the 2022 Australian Open, where he lost to eventual champion Rafael Nadal). Shapovalov has yet to reach a final on grass.

Marin Cilic reacts after defeating Denis Shapovalov

Marin Cilic made a strong start to his Libema Open campaign. While trailing 2-4 in the second set, the Croatian ace reeled off four consecutive games to force the decider. After ending the match in two hours and 43 minutes, the 37-year-old improved his head-to-head record over Denis Shapovalov to 4-3. They also met in the second round of this year’s Australian Open, which Cilic won in straight sets.

So many ups and downs today. He [Shapovalov] was definitely the better player for the first set and a half. But I just stayed in there, found my game, started to play better.

Marin Cilic said during his on-court interview

Cilic is the third-oldest man to win a match in the Libema Open after Dick Norman in 2009 and Ivo Karlovic in 2017. It was here back in 2007 that Cilic made his tour-level debut.

Cilic will next be locking horns with Nuno Borges. The Portuguese ace knocked out Terence Atmane in the previous round to set up the clash with the 2014 US Open champion.

Cilic holds a 1-1 head-to-head record over Borges. They met in the fourth round of this year’s Hong Kong Open, which Borges won in straight sets.

Cilic has not yet reached a tour-level final since his victory over Zhang Zhizhen at the 2024 Hangzhou Open. If Cilic beats Borges, he could set up a quarterfinal match against the third seed and fellow one-time Grand Slam champion Daniil Medvedev. In the semifinals, Cilic could square off against the first seed, Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Cilic, also the 2017 Wimbledon finalist (lost to Roger Federer), has not yet made the quarterfinals of this Major since that defeat. Last year, he progressed to the fourth round and lost the title to this year’s French Open runner-up Flavio Cobolli.

Before the Libema Open, Cilic played the clay-court Major, and his run ended in the opening round with a three-set defeat to Moise Kouame. The winner of 21 tour-level singles titles has lifted three trophies on grass.

Also read: Maja Chwalinska Tells John McEnroe She Knows Perfectly Who He Is in Hilarious Interaction: “I Watched Vintage Tennis”