When Denis Shapovalov closed his 2023 season with a disturbing knee injury, he could not be sure that he would ever play pain -free tennis again.
Since his return last year, however, the Canadian has added three ATP tour titles to his breakthrough Stockholm Crown from 2019. His revival has undoubtedly brought a new level of faith and while he is introduced for a seventh time in his career in his career in his career in his career.
“I would say that my self -confidence is very high. I would say it is different than when I was young and the trust would be high, but it would be pretty vulnerable,” Shapovalov told Valentin Royer after his second round. “I think now – and you can see with my results – that there is confidence. Even if I have a few weeks or breakdown or a few heavy competitions, I can bring it back and play at a high level when the next week comes.
“That is why I have been able to win three titles in less than 12 months, and that is why I have been able to have so many great weeks recently. I certainly think there is trust there. I am playing great tennis.”
Although Shapovalov won a struggle of five set in his only earlier Lexus ATP Head2head meeting with Sinner in the Australian Open in 2021, the 26-year-old admits that they have both changed a lot as players since then. Shapovalov has taken a long way back from injury, while the sinner rose in the PIF ATP ranking lists in the PIF ATP ranking list in June last year and has not given his position since then.
Shapovalov acknowledges that he will have to take his A-Game with him if he wants to challenge the title defender, who has been unbeaten at the Hardcourt Majors since 2023.
‘[I’m] I definitely look forward to another matchup with him. These are the types of competitions that I live a bit for, “said Shapovalov.” I enjoy playing [them]So I’m looking forward to it.
“He has many strengths, is the player he is. He does not have many weaknesses, he is solid everywhere. I will have to dictate and try to play my game and go for my strokes. He is not going to give away too much for me in the game.
Denis Shapovalov beats Jannik Sinner on the Australian Open 2021. Photo: David Gray/Getty images.
After his exit in the fourth round in Wimbledon in 2023, Shapovalov finished his season and slid outside the top 100 at the end of the year. The former world no. 10 did not compete for six months and during his difficult return in 2024 was as low as world no. 140.
Yet the Canadian – with the help of his team and family – lost his ambitions or the explosive game that he defeated as a teenager as a teenager.
“I think I am very grateful for walking through what I did with my knee. It was definitely the most difficult challenge I have ever had, not knowing if I would ever be pain -free,” Shapovalov recalled. “There were many doubtful days and difficult moments. It was a long way to come back.
“Even when I started again, there were many difficult competitions, I didn’t get the victories, and I was in the competitions or the pain would come back in the knee. So it was a whole, really difficult road, but I am very grateful for my team and the narrow around me, because they kept me a little and keep reassuring me and reassuring me the results of the results.”
And they did. In his last tournament of the 2024 season, Shapovalov lifted his second ATP Tour trophy in Belgrade, a breakthrough that seemed to cause a new chapter. In February, Shapovalov rolled past the top 10 opponents Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul and Casper Ruud on their way to the biggest title of his career at the ATP 500 in Dallas.
Shapovalov recovers from an injury to win Maiden ATP 500 Crown:
Then, after an underwhelming Clay-Court season and loss of the first round in Wimbledon, Shapovalov again hit the hard courts in Los Cabos and won his fourth title on tour level without dropping a set.
“I had to stay very, very patient last year. I only got the result that I wanted to win the last week of the year by winning Belgrade,” Shapovalov thought. “It was definitely worth it. To be honest, that title meant 100 times more for me than the first title I won in Stockholm. It was huge for me.
“It has been a way to come back. It is never easy to climb back in the ranking. There are many new young boys. Your name is not as anxious as when you are number 10 in the world, it has a little more emphasis than when you climb back in the ranking. [get to] where I am. I think I am in a great place and this year won two titles, playing a number of great tennis, in the third round here. I have a shot against a man like Jannik. It’s great for me. I’m looking forward to it. ”
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