Madrid Open star mocks rival in brutal fashion while practising on court next to him

Denis Shapovalov has brutally poked fun at teenage rival Diego Dedura-Palomero a week on from their battle at the BMW Open. The Canadian's retirement through injury against the 17-year-old from the rookie star.

Dedura-Palomero, who was leading the match before Shapovalov's retirement, became the first player born in 2008 or later to win an ATP Tour match. In remarkable scenes, he celebrated by roaring in delight before drawing a giant cross on the clay surface and lying down on his back with his arms and legs outstretched. The moment received a mixed reaction from fans on social media.

However, Shapovalov clearly saw the funny side. Having spotted Dedura-Palomero at the Madrid Open a week on from their clash, the 26-year-old took the opportunity to mock the celebration.

Shapovalov was practising on the open court opposite Dedura-Palomero's qualifying match against Colombia's Daniel Elahi Galan. In a video shared on social media, the former world No. 10 can be seen drawing a cross on the ground with his feet, before standing upright with his arms and legs outstretched.

Although he did not lie on the ground, Shapovalov was clearly mimicking Dedura-Palomero's celebration from a week earlier. It seemed to be in good spirits, though, as those standing around the session, including his coach, laughed.

Dedura-Palomero's time in Madrid did not last long. He was beaten by Galan in three sets. At the BMW Open, he was dumped out in the second round following a 6-1 6-1 loss against Zizou Bergs.

Shapovalov was practising after being granted entry to the main draw as a seeded player. The world No. 32 is scheduled to face a qualifier on Friday. He has previously reached the semi-final of the Madrid Open, doing so in 2018, and is a former Masters 1000 finalist, losing in Paris to Novak Djokovic in 2019.

Last September, he makes from tennis due to taxes and other expenses. His comments came after former Australian player John Millman argued that stars moaning about the gruelling nature of the ATP Tour are often seen playing in lucrative exhibition tournaments, where they cannot accrue ranking points.

Shapovalov responded: "Yes, but take out taxes, percentages, salaries and expenses we pay. Tennis isn't like other sports where you keep the money you make. There are a lot of costs as a tennis player. Not saying we don't make money, just that we make much more money playing [exhibitions]."