Coaches Corner: How do you play successfully against Denis Shapovalov?
Professional tennis coaches see more - which is why we simply ask how to play against the big players in the industry. In part 10 of our series, the head coach of the German Tennis Federation Michael Kohlmann analyzes the Canadian youngster Denis Shapovalov .
by tennisnet.com
last edit: May 18, 2020, 10:30 am
Denis Shapovalov has replaced Milos Raonic as Canadian number one. The 21-year-old left-hander with Russian roots, born in Tel Aviv, is number 16 in the current ATP world rankings. Shapovalov won his first title on the ATP tour last year in Stockholm - a feat that his best friend Félix Auger-Aliassime has not yet succeeded. In 2018 Denis Shapovalov had to compete against Maximilian Marterer in the second round in Roland Garros - and lost in four sets. Back then as a coach of Marterer: Michael Kohlmann. And the German Davis Cup boss analyzes Shapovalov's strengths and weaknesses for us.
What are the special strengths of Denis Shapovalov?
It serves very well and has a strong slice, which it also uses frequently to make the space bigger. For a left-hander, it also has a good smooth serve. Since he mixes excellently. It doesn't come across as well on ashes as it does on faster rubbers. On the second serve of his opponent, he goes offensive to get the points well. The basic strokes are very fast, for a young player he also goes very, very well after his balls. He tries on both sides to go on the fast shot longline.
How do you play successfully against Denis Shapovalov?
It always depends on which surface you play against Shapovalov. Against Maxi he made 82 unforced errors in four sentences in Paris. That is a very high number. He returned very badly, even though he always took other positions. You generally have to offer him different heights. that goes particularly well on ashes. Maxi did very well in that match: gave him a heavy spin and then a slice. You have to put pressure on him immediately when you return - and let him play a lot. If you manage to put a lot of balls into play, then there will be many mistakes. The alpha and omega is always: hold your own service games first. A little bit of luck is always a part of his service games. The longer he doesn't succeed as a return player, the more hectic he becomes. He still lacks consistency, especially at smaller tournaments.
A few facts and figures about Denis Shapovalov (statistics refer to the past 52 weeks)
| Date of birth | Overall tournament wins | Tournament wins 2019 | Points won first serve | Return games won | Breakballs fended off |
| April 15, 1999 | 1 | 1 | 76.2% (ATP rank 19) | 17.4% (ATP rank 66) | 65.1% (ATP rank 14) |
Selected head-to-heads by Denis Shapovalov
| opponent | Balance sheet |
| Novak Djokovic | 0: 5 |
| Rafael Nadal | 1: 2 |
| Dominic Thiem | 0: 3 |
| Roger Federer | 0: 1 |
| Daniil Medvedev | 2: 1 |
| Stefanos Tsitsipas | 3: 1 |
| Alexander Zverev | 2: 3 |
| Gael Monfils | 1: 1 |
| Stan Wawrinka | 1: 1 |