"We move on" - Marc Polmans reconciles with chair umpire after ball hitting controversy & disqualification at Shanghai Masters

Australian tennis player Marc Polmans has disclosed that he reconciled with the chair umpire after being disqualified from the 2023 Shanghai Masters.

There was a lot of drama in the tournament on Tuesday (October 3) when Polmans got disqualified for accidentally hitting the chair umpire after he missed a match point against Stefano Napolitano.

The score was 7-6, 6-6 (6-5) in Polmans' favor when he struck an extra ball in frustration towards the umpire after missing the crucial point. While he quickly apologized, the match concluded at that moment.

The World No. 140 was just two points away from securing a spot in the main draw of the Shanghai Masters, which would have marked his first-ever appearance at a Masters 1000 tournament. However, he was disqualified on the spot, which led to Napolitano entering the main draw instead.

Watch the video here:

A day after the incident, Marc Polmans took to X (formerly Twitter) to share an update. He mentioned he had apologized to the umpire, Ben Anderson, and they reconciled. The Aussie also admitted that he should not have reacted the way he did.

"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," he wrote.

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Daniil Medvedev is the defending champion of the Shanghai Masters 2023

Daniil Medvedev pictured with his 2019 Shanghai Masters trophy

The 2023 Shanghai Masters begins on October 4 with an increased field of 96 players preparing to compete in Asia's only ATP Masters 1000 tournament. The event is returning for the first time since 2019 as it was canceled for three years during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Daniil Medvedev won the 2019 edition of the tournament with a straight-set victory, 6-4, 6-1, over Germany's Alexander Zverev in the final. He is most likely to emulate that performance this year.

The Russian is in great form at the Asian swing, having reached the finals of the China Open, where he will compete for the title with Jannik Sinner, who defeated World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals.

Medvedev is the second seed after Alcaraz in the absence of World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, a four-time Shanghai Masters champion. The World No. 3 received a first-round bye and will face Cristian Garin or Aleksandar Kovacevic in his opener.