Tennis Controversies of the Week: Ben Shelton faces backlash after injuring opponent; Novak Djokovic landed in hot water over contentious move, and more

American tennis star Ben Shelton received backlash after injuring his doubles opponent Andrea Vavassori at the Monte-Carlo Masters. In other news, Novak Djokovic faced backlash after his controversial encounter with US President Donald Trump-appointed Dr. Mehmet Oz.

Meanwhile, Alexander Zverev caused a stir with his controversial remarks after his Monte-Carlo early exit to Matteo Berrettini. The Djokovic-led PTPA was criticized for taking credit for recent tennis reforms. Also, controversy erupted at Monza Challenger after players accused ball kids of disrupting play.

On that note, here's a recap of the top tennis controversies from last week:

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Ben Shelton faced criticism after injuring opponent at Monte-Carlo Masters

Ben Shelton drew criticism for his behavior after injuring opponent Andrea Vavassori during a heated second-round doubles win at the 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters. Shelton and Rohan Bopanna rallied to beat Italians Simone Bolelli and Vavassori 2-6, 7-6(4), 10-7.

Tensions rose post-match when Vavassori told the chair umpire that Shelton had hit him with a shot in the first set. Shelton lifted his shirt to show his own marks, insisting such contact is part of the game, before calling Vavassori "soft" and celebrating loudly with fans.

Watch the video here:

A day later, Vavassori announced a rib injury from the incident, forcing him to withdraw from the upcoming Barcelona Open.

"Sadly I have to withdraw from Barcelona next week due a rib injury happened at the beginning of yesterday’s match. Exams showed a little infraction so have to stop playing for some days. See you in Madrid," he wrote.

Ben Shelton, who faced an early exit in the singles event, went on to lose the doubles to Manuel Guinard and Romain Arneodo in the quarterfinals.

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Tennis icon Novak Djokovic drew backlash after controversial meeting with Donald Trump-appointed Dr. Oz

Novak Djokovic sparked backlash during the Miami Open after playing tennis with the U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and TV show host and physician Dr. Mehmet Oz. Dr. Oz, appointed by Donald Trump to head the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, shared a photo with Djokovic and RFK Jr. on Instagram.

Check out the picture here:

Both RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz have faced criticism for promoting controversial medical views. Djokovic himself was widely criticized for staying unvaccinated during the COVID-19 pandemic, citing personal choice.

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Alexander Zverev sparked controversy with his reaction to Monte-Carlo early exit

In Picture: Alexander Zverev during the 2025 BMW Open (Source: Getty)

Alexander Zverev faced backlash for downplaying his opponent following his 6-2, 3-6, 5-7 loss to Matteo Berrettini in the second round at the 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters. In the post-match conference, Zverev called his performance "terrible" and took responsibility for the defeat, implying his errors were to blame rather than Berrettini's play.

"I thought it was bad. I thought my level was terrible, but that's just my opinion. I played a great first set and once I got broken in the second set, I played 10 levels down. My ball is much slower, I stop hitting the ball. It's the same story in the last few months, nothing changes. So it's me who lost the match once again," Zverev said.

Alexander Zverev will next be in action in his home country at the BMW Open, where the top seed will face Alexandre Muller in the first round on April 14.

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Novak Djokovic's PTPA landed in hot water for claiming leadership over recent tennis reforms

The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), led by Novak Djokovic, faced criticism for linking recent tennis "reforms" to pressure from their ongoing lawsuit.

On March 18, the PTPA filed a lawsuit against the ATP, WTA, ITF, and ITIA, accusing them of acting like a "cartel" and paying players "artificially low compensation." Soon after, top players like Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Jannik Sinner, and Djokovic signed a letter pushing for higher prize money and better support.

Additionally, Charleston Open owner Ben Navarro announced that starting in 2026, the WTA 500 event winner would earn the same prize money as an ATP 500 winner. Amid these developments, news broke of ATP CEO Massimo Calvelli’s resignation. While it's unclear if the PTPA's lawsuit influenced these changes, the organization issued a statement on X.

"Players’ letter to the Grand Slams requesting their fair share of revenues. ATP CEO steps down. Charleston Open to double prize money. Pressure is a powerful thing. Systemic reform is needed, and it’s coming. We’re proud to support players in leading the way," it read.

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Tension escalated at Monza Challenger after the ball kids were accused of interfering

The Monza Challenger saw two controversial incidents where players accused ball kids of disrupting their matches. In the second set of the opening round between Thiago Seyboth Wild and Mili Poljicak, Seyboth Wild served to Poljicak’s backhand, but as the latter moved to return the shot, a ball kid squatted in his path.

Distracted by the movement, Seyboth Wild mishit his return, losing the point, and complained to the umpire about the distraction.

Watch the video here:

In a similar incident during the second set of the match between Radu Albot and Dalibor Svrcina, a ball kid behind Albot began moving his arms while Svrcina returned a shot. Svrcina lost the point and also approached the umpire, but like Seyboth Wild, his complaint was ignored.