Rafael Nadal may have booked his place in the Australian Open semi-finals but it didn't come without controversy as his opponent Denis Shapovalov directed his fury at the Spaniard, and the umpire.
The Canadian, who agonisingly crashed out after a five-set thriller, was furious with the amount of time he felt the Spaniard was taking between points.
While trailing in the match as he failed to find his best form in the opening sets, the 22-year-old engaged in a heated row with umpire Carlos Bernardes, asking the official to 'code' the Spaniard because "he's not ready to play."
When the Brazilian refused and responded: "Yeah but you are not ready to play, because you came to talk to me," the frustrated youngster yelled "are you kidding me?"
He then yelped: "You guys are all corrupt! You guys are all corrupt!"
It did not distract Nadal, who would eventually go onto prevail 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3 in just over four hours, despite suffering stomach problems late in the match.
He began the match in imperious form and raced into a two-set lead, only to be pegged back by the 14th seed, who defeated Olympic champion Alexander Zverev in the previous round.
While it appeared Nadal had nothing left in the tank at the end of the fourth set, the world No 5 dug deep and secured a break at the beginning of the decider.
His serve was imperious throughout the set and he eventually closed out the match.
As Nadal celebrated reaching a remarkable 36th Grand Slam final, Shapovalov smashed his racket angrily to the ground.
An exhausted Nadal admitted he was 'lucky' to come through the match and felt physically 'destroyed' after playing in very conditions on an incredibly hot day in Melbourne.
"I was completely destroyed after that," the 35-year-old said. "For me it’s amazing, honestly, to be in the semi-finals.
"I was lucky that I was serving great in the fifth," said the Spaniard, who lauded his opponent for his aggressive play. "He was serving huge, and especially the second serve."
Despite having some time to calm down, Shapovalov still vented his anger at the 20-time major winner's speed of play in his post-match press conference.
"I think it's unfair how much Rafa is getting away with. It's like, where is the line? There's got to be some boundaries, some rules set," he said.
"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.
"It's difficult. I'm not trying to say anything against Rafa. He's a great player."
In his own presser, Nadal objected to Shapovalov’s views and felt the umpire was correct to give him more time.
Nadal said: "I was asking about what was going on. I didn't understand. I know I took some extra time at the end of the first set because I had to change everything there on the chair.
"Normally at the end of the set, the umpire gives you some extra time especially under these very humid conditions.
"At that moment, Denis got p****d because the umpire called time and I needed 30 seconds extra to keep changing my clothes.
"In that moment, I think it’s fair that Carlos give me some extra time because I think Carlos make a small mistake calling time [when he did].
"In my opinion, Denis was wrong. I understand he wanted to keep playing quick but normally you have some time to change."
Nadal will face either fan favourite Gael Monfils or Italy's Matteo Berrettini in the last-four.
