Back when an 18-year-old Denis Shapovalov made big waves in the summer U.S. hardcourt season of 2017, few would believe it if you told them that seven years later, aged 25, he would have no big titles, only two overall titles, and be ranked #56 in the world. Rather than improving, Shapovalov has actually regressed to the point where nobody really thinks of him as a contender or even a dark horse for anything anymore.
There were a few promising runs here and there, namely his run to the Bercy final in 2019 (still his only Masters 1000 final to date) and to the Wimbledon semifinals in 2021, both runs brought to a halt by Novak Djokovic. But after his five-set loss to Rafael Nadal at the 2022 Australian Open quarterfinals, he pretty much fell of the radar and even left the Top 100 at one point. Despite evidently having a lot of talent and firepower, Shapovalov has only made news for the worst reasons in the past few years and has become someone who doesn’t even feel like an occasional threat to top players. Among tennis fans, there’s pretty much zero belief that Shapovalov might win a Slam or even a Masters 1000.
However, he did show some promising signs at the end of 2024. Albeit with a pretty weak draw on paper, he finally won a second career title at the end of 2024 in Belgrade after making it through qualifying. It was his best run in ages and one that will surely give him some hope ahead of a very important 2025 season. At only 25 years old, the Canadian still has time on his side to find his game and forge a good career for himself, but it does feel like now is the time for him to establish himself or get left behind for good. There’s no doubt that Shapovalov has the talent to be a top player, the question is if he will finally be able to put it together or if he will go down as someone who peaked as a teenager and never really lived up to the promise. 2025 will reveal a lot.
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
