What's the matter with Denis Shapovalov
Denis Shapovalov is in a real form crisis after his surprising victory over Rafael Nadal . No way out in sight?
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Aug 04, 2022, 09:29 pm
There are probably few such exhausting, albeit self-inflicted, tests of personal frustration tolerance as being a fan in Denis Shapovalov's camp. Even on creamy days, the 23-year-old is able not only to blur the lines between genius and madness, but to make them disappear completely. With Denis Shapovalov, there is often only the much-quoted blink of an eye between the error orgy and the winner's party. A tightrope act that is often demanding – for everyone involved.
Now, the inclined supporter of the young left-hander is obviously above average when it comes to dealing with setbacks. And yet the current situation of the 23-year-old is likely to be frustrating, to say the least, even for the most die-hards in the Canadian camp. Less than 100 days ago, the whole thing had actually looked pretty good. When the Canadian was in Rome - and there with a three-set success over a damaged Rafael Nadal caused a big surprise. Foot problems with the Spaniards or not.
Shapovalov has few points to defend
A good three months later, storm clouds have gathered. And they don't give the impression of being forgiven any time soon. Shapovalov has played nine matches since the surprise against Rafael Nadal, in eight of which the Tel Aviv-born world number 22 had to play. leave the place with their heads bowed. The three-set defeat in the first round of the ATP 500 event in Washington against local hero John-Jeffrey Wolf fits the picture only too well.
Looking for something positive these days is correspondingly demanding. And yet Shapovalov does not have to panic, at least in the medium term, that he will soon lose ground completely in the ATP charts. Most of the 1573 world ranking points of the 23-year-old will fall out of the ranking at the end of the year or at all in the coming game year. In fact, with a good North American swing, Shapovalov could drastically close the gap to the top 10. Note the perfidy, in view of the last few weeks of the world number 22. lies in this statement.
Turnaround in Montreal?
Hope can also be found in two aspects: The Canadian himself seems anything but crushed by the current downturn. Rather, Shapovalov does not shy away from propagating images of an intact life on the ATP tour via social media. However, as is well known, there is no look behind the scenes. In any case, the game of the 22nd in the world rankings implies providing plenty of material for the highlight reels of this world. Moments of success also included over the full match distance.
And in Washington, too, Shapovalov's followers are anything but exclusively success fanatics, as can be read in a fan message that Shapovalov spread via Instagram: "Thank you for giving my daughter the bat. My children love you and you really are my son's favorite player. That was the best moment of the tournament for them." So it can be assumed that in Montreal - the next stop on the ATP tour - a considerable number of tennis fans with a patriotic background will again support the 23-year-old. And what better place for a radical turnaround than home soil?