Denis Shapovalov: "If things continue like this, I won't play much this year"
Denis Shapovalov spoke on the sidelines of the ATP 500 event in Dubai about the status quo of tennis at the time of COVID-19. Both the ranking reform and the situation with the player bubbles.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Mar 18, 2021, 06:58 am
The situation with which the main actors of the traveling circus of the ATP tour are confronted these days is certainly not very glamorous. Partly orphaned or very sparsely attended tiers, special hygiene regulations - the list of changes that COVID-19 also means for tennis is a long one. A central concept that has been used again and again since the resumption of the tour is the concept of the bubble, into which the players and entourage have to go after several hours of strict quarantine - and the redemption of a negative test result - but then a reasonably "normal" one "Find the environment.
This is not for everyone. Just recently, for example, Benoit Paire railed about the circumstances, asserting that he is currently having very little fun with his job. Denis Shapovalov, the left-hander from Canada, is also quite dissatisfied with the status quo. "I tried to stay away from a bubble as much as possible. After what I saw in Australia, I felt like it took its toll on me and I don't want to experience anything like that again. So I am I came to Dubai just to train and relax. I moved out of Rotterdam because I didn't feel ready, "said Shapovalov on the sidelines of the Dubai ATP 500 event.
Shapovalov: "Mentally very difficult"
A widespread application of the bubble concept on the ATP tour could even lead to the fact that the Canadian who played so attractively could be seen less often in the future, as he explained: "I won't play a lot of tennis when the vast majority of tournaments requires a bubble to be able to play. It was mentally very difficult to be locked in a room. I love tennis and it's great to be able to play the best tournaments in the world, but in these conditions the passion is lost. I try to do something different and enjoy every game I play this year. "
Another point that is related to COVID-19 and recently repeatedly caused negative votes on the part of the players is the reform of the ranking system, which was introduced to protect the players due to the cancellation of many tournaments. A rule that Alexander Zverev sharply criticized and that Andrey Rublev, one of the most formidable players on the ATP tour, does not really enjoy.
Denis Shapovalov also sees some problems in the current mode of the ATP charts, as he explained after his success against Hubert Hurkacz in Dubai: "There will always be positive and negative aspects to the world ranking system, but it is difficult to get to the top because the players don't lose points, but at the end of the day that's how they decided and we have to go along, "said the Canadian. "I was overwhelmed to see that Rublev - even though he won around 25,500 (note: Andrey Rublev actually won four ATP 500 tournaments in a row) - couldn't improve that much."