Australian tennis star Daria Saville has issued a startling apology after her social media post about the sport’s biggest controversy drew a devastatingly blunt response from Thanasi Kokkinakis.

Saville took to X to give her thoughts on what’s become known as ‘the most controversial match point ever’ as Jack Draper defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime at the Cincinnati Open on Saturday.

Draper came from a set down to beat the Canadian 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, but Auger-Aliassime disputed the Briton winning the final point.

The umpire judged that Draper hit a volleyed winner, with the ball hitting the frame of his racket and bouncing onto Auger-Aliassime’s side of the court after hitting the net cord.

However, Auger-Aliassime angrily claimed his rival had ‘shanked it on the floor’ – meaning Draper hit the ball into the ground on his side of the court before it then bounced over the net.

Saville posted the following tweet as debate raged in tennis circles: ‘1. It’s not a double bounce (Draper tried to hit a volley but just picked it up on the bounce.

‘2. He doesn’t hit it into the ground. (cause if he did then the ball would be spinning forwards). 3. Even if it’s a double hit – it’s still one swing so it’s legal.’

Kokkinakis then posted the following message, using Saville’s nickname: ‘Dash pls delete’.

Kokkinakis (pictured playing in Canada last week) told Saville to delete her tweet about what’s becoming known as ‘the most controversial match point ever’

Saville was commenting on the huge debate that erupted after Jack Draper (right) beat Felix Auger-Aliassime (left) in a dramatic last point at the Cincinnati Open

Saville simply replied ‘Ok’ and did so, before posting: ‘I sincerely apologise for my actions. I take full responsibility and am committed to being a better person.’

That saw tennis fans back her take on he controversy and urge her to fight back against being silenced.

‘He doesn’t own you girl,’ one wrote.

‘You shouldn’t have deleted it. You are 100% right,’ added another.

Other commenters wrote, ‘You don’t need to apologise!’, ‘No Daria, you were correct!’ and, ‘You have nothing to apologise for. Kokkinakis should be apologising to you after his post. You were bullied into deleting a post that only showed how different lots of people were seeing the incident.’

However, others thought Saville’s apology might have been given light-heartedly and was purposely over-the-top.

‘Don’t let them silence you even if you might have been wrong!! #IStandWithDasha,’ wrote one fan, with Saville replying, ‘Bahahahah.’

‘Daria, what you did was unacceptable. It will take a lot for me …. to forgive you,’ another commenter added.

Saville responded to that by writing: ‘I believe time will heal, and I will work towards being better.’ 

She and Kokkinakis weren’t the only stars to voice their opinion on the drama in Cincinnati.

Kokkinakis hit Saville with a blunt message after she voiced her opinion that Draper had done nothing wrong and the shot that won him the match was legal

The 30-year-old then issued this eye-opening apology, which left some tennis fans worried that she was being bullied out of speaking her mind

Novak Djokovic demanded tennis make changes to ensure the ’embarrassing’ point ‘never happens again’.

‘It’s embarrassing that we don’t have video replay of these kind of situations on the court,’ the Serbian superstar tweeted. 

‘What’s even more ridiculous is that we don’t have the rule in place that would allow chair umpires to change the original call based on the video review that happens off the court!

‘Everyone who watches TV sees what happened on the replay, yet the players on the court are kept in ‘dark’ not knowing what’s the outcome.

‘We have Hawkeye for line calls, we live in the technologically advanced 21st century! Please, respective Tours, make sure this nonsense never happens again!’