Denis Shapovalov gives very honest take on trash talk debate in tennis

Denis Shapovalov suggests he has no problems with normalizing trash talk in tennis but added he “cannot imagine tennis players trying to trash talk.”

Last month, Frances Tiafoe said introducing trash talk into tennis would help the game grow and reach the younger audience.

A couple of days, Jessica Pegula and Cori Gauff also said that adding a little bit of trash talk would help tennis become more entertaining. 

“Trash-talking in tennis?” a fan asked Shapovalov on Instagram.

Shapovalov answered through an Instagram Story: “Why not? But I cannot imagine tennis players trying to trash talk (laughing emoji).”

Shapovalov ‘cannot imagine tennis players’ trying to trash talk

Tennis has always been considered a gentlemen’s sport. 

But a poll conducted in 2016, showed that the average of an ATP fan in the United States was 61. 

Tiafoe, a 2022 US Open semifinalist, thinks normalizing trash talk would make the game more entertaining to the younger audience. 

“I think fans should be able to come and go and move around and speak during matches. Imagine going to a basketball game and not saying anything. Apart from retaining some tradition at Wimbledon, outside that, let’s start changing things to bring younger fans to the game,” Tiafoe told Forbes recently.

Pegula and Gauff, the two top-ranked American female tennis players, agreed with Tiafoe.

“It would add more types of fans and not make it so traditional,” Pegula told WTA Insider.

Gauff said: “There could be more banter here and there. So long as you don’t take it personally. You see in basketball, guys go at each other and then they go out for a drink afterward. I think it would make the sport interesting. I think this is something that would bring more fans in. Pretty much every other sport has it. In college tennis they trash talk a lot.”

It remains to be seen if this conversations will lead to more trash talk in tennis.