Rafael Nadal is “100%” given preferential treatment by umpires, claimed Denis Shapovalov after his defeat by the Spaniard in their Australian Open quarter-final.

Shapovalov was unhappy with the amount of time he thought Nadal was taking between points and twice complained to umpire Carlos Bernardes.

“I think it’s unfair how much Rafa is getting away with,” said Shapovalov.

In reply, 35-year-old Nadal said: “I believe he is wrong in this case.”

Shapovalov, 22,lost in 5 sets to 20 time Grand Slam champion Nadal at Melbourne Park on Tuesday, having fought back to level after going two sets down.

At the start of the second set, Shapovalov asked Bernardes to give a time violation to the sixth seed.

When the official did not see fit to do so, Shapovalov shouted: “You guys are all corrupt.”

In his post-match news conference, 14th seed Shapovalov said he “misspoke” during the match with emotions riding high but still stood by the wider point.

Players are allowed 25 seconds between shots and two minutes between sets, all timed by a shot clock.

Asked whether he thinks Nadal receives preferential treatment, Shapovalov said: “Of course – 100% he does, 100%. Every other match that I have played, the pace has been so quick because the refs have been on the clock after every single point.

“I’m completely ready to play and the clock is ticking 3, 2, 1, clicking towards zero.

“I’m looking at the umpire and obviously I’m going to speak up and say something.

“I’ve been ready to play for a minute and a half, and he tells me he’s not going to give him a code violation because I’m not ready to play. To me, it’s a big joke if somebody says that.”

Shapovalov added: “I respect everything that Rafa has done and I think he’s an unbelievable player. But there have got to be some boundaries, some rules set.

“It’s just so frustrating as a player. You feel like you’re not just playing against the player; you’re playing against the umpires, you’re playing against so much more.”

The first complaint came after Nadal changed his kit at the end of the first set and Shapovalov remonstrated with Bernardes again before the second game about how long Nadal was taking to serve.

“I know I took some extra time at the end of the first set because I had to change everything there on the chair in the changeover,” said Nadal, who won his only Australian Open title in 2009.

“It’s obvious you can’t play with the clothes in the condition that I was. After that, I was going through all the rules.”

On Shapovalov’s claim he received preferential treatment, Nadal added: “I really believe it’s always in the mind that the top players get bigger advantages and honestly on court is not true.

“I never feel that I had advantages on court, and I really believe that he’s wrong in that case.”

The organisers of the Australian Open have reversed a ban on T-shirts supporting Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai after a global outcry.

Last Friday, security staff had asked spectators to remove T shirts and a banner saying “Where is Peng Shuai?” before entering the grounds.

Ms Peng vanished for weeks after accusing a top Chinese official of sexual misconduct in November.

She has since re-appeared, but many remain concerned about her wellbeing.

Craig Tiley, chief executive of Tennis Australia – the organising body behind the Australian Open – told reporters they would now allow spectators to wear the T-shirt as long as they attended without the “intent to disrupt” and were “peaceful”.

“If someone wants to wear a T-shirt and make a statement about Peng Shuai that’s fine,” he was quoted as saying in The Sydney Morning Herald.

But he added that banners would still not be allowed as “it really takes away from the comfort and safety of the fans”, and that security staff would make decisions on a case-by-case basis.

Tennis Australia had earlier told the BBC that they had a “longstanding policy of not allowing banners, signs or clothing that are commercial or political.”

They added they were “happy to welcome” the spectator back to the tournament grounds, but said that “the policy will continue to be applied .. to any items that compromise the safety and comfort of Australian Open fans.”

It did not elaborate further.

The decision to ban the shirt was met with fierce criticisms from human rights groups and the international tennis community, with some suggesting that organisers were bowing to pressure from major Chinese corporate sponsors.

Australia’s defence minister Peter Dutton also lashed out against the ban, calling Tennis Australia’s actions “deeply concerning” in an interview with broadcaster Sky News.

“I think we should be speaking up about these issues, and I’d encourage… tennis organisations, including Tennis Australia [to do so].”

Mr Dutton also praised the actions of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), which has pulled all tournaments from China this year in response to the controversy.

Friday’s incident has also sparked the creation of a Gofundme page that promised to print out more T-shirts after reaching its AUD$10,000 (£5,296; $7,179) goal.

Tennis Australia is not the only body that has terms and conditions governing spectators’ attire and conduct.

The All England Lawn Tennis Club, which organises Wimbledon, prohibits “any objects or clothing bearing… political statements, objectionable or offensive statements” from the tournament grounds.

In November, Ms Peng posted a 1,600-word note on Chinese social media platform Weibo, accusing former Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli of forcing her to have sex with him.

She then vanished from the public eye, triggering a wave of global concern among the international tennis community, fans and human rights groups over her whereabouts.

She resurfaced weeks later, and in her first media interview in December following her reappearance, she denied making any accusations of sexual assault and claimed her social media post had faced “a lot of misunderstandings”.

Sadio Mane scored as Senegal beat nine-man Cape Verde 2-0 in the last 16 at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

Mane curled in off the underside of the crossbar soon after keeper Vozinha had been dismissed following a nasty clash of heads with the Liverpool forward.

Mane, appearing concussed, was led off before the game restarted and Bamba Dieng added the second in injury time.

Cape Verde midfielder Patrick Andrade had been shown a straight red card midway through the first half.

The match in Bafoussam was preceded by a minute’s silence for the victims of the crash at the Olembe Stadium on Monday

Senegal will face either Mali or Equatorial Guinea in the last eight on Sunday.

Giants Cote d’Ivoire and Egypt lock horns on Wednesday as the Round of 16 of the ongoing TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon 2021 gains full momentum.

Not only two of the continent’s biggest guns with nine titles in-between them, The Elephants and The Pharaohs are also have the most number of appearances in AFCON history.

Match Card

Date: 26 January 2022

Time: 17:00 local time (16:00 GMT)

Venue: Japoma Stadium, Douala

Round of 16

Match: Cote d’Ivoire v Egypt

At the Japoma stadium and after beating Algeria, the Elephants will face a Egypt that did not impress a lot in the group stage.

After losing 0-1 against Nigeria for their start, Egypt won narrowly 1-0 against Guinea Bissau and Sudan to reach the Round of 16.

But it’s a totally different story now. Egypt remains a formidable opponent and the Ivorians know that the Pharaohs have often blocked their way in the Africa Cup of Nations finals.

For their 5th AFCON title, the Pharaohs at home beat the Elephants in the 2006 final on penalties, and two years later for their 6th continental trophy, the Egyptians knocked out the Ivorians in the semi-finals in Ghana 2008.

Enough for the Elephants to be cautious for this round of 16 even if they rather managed an almost perfect match (3-1) against Les Fennecs of Algeria.

Unlike Egypt, Côte d’Ivoire did not lose any matches during the group stage and gave the impression of gaining momentum at the start of the competition.

And in addition, with three games played on this lawn and two games won, the Ivorian team has taken its bearings to face any opponent whether it is Egypt or another.

What they said

Patrice Beaumelle (Coach, Cote d’Ivoire)

“’This outsider status suits us very well; we know where we are going. We are happy to have finished first in our group, now that is behind us because we will face a great team from Egypt with players who are used to playing in Africa. This will be a tactical match, closed but very exciting. The most important thing is that we want to continue our way’.”

Sébastien Haller (Forward, Cote d’Ivoire)

“’I’m happy to be here. It’s good to count on players who won the 2015 AFCON. They bring us a lot of experience. We want to go all the way like all the teams present here. Egypt is a great football nation which is always present at these events, with genius players like Mo Salah. It is a knockout match that can be played over 90 minutes or more. We are preparing for a tactical match which can also be closed.”

Carlos Queiroz, (Coach, Egypt)

“Egypt are getting stronger in this competition. From the first to the last group game, you have noticed that the team is better. Against Cote d’Ivoire, we will ignore the past to focus on the present. We are going to make sure that the best team on the pitch is Egypt. Tomorrow we can please the millions of fans across Egypt. We have great players and we are a beautiful team”.

Mohamed Salah (Captain, Egypt)

“I want to call on the public to encourage all the players present in this team. Everyone must move in the same direction, we are a team and we must have all the support of the fans. Cote d’Ivoire is a great team, it won’t be easy but we proved that we are improving game after game. We will go to play and win.