Denis Shapovalov did not have a perfect year, by any stretch of the imagination. However, by the end of the season his game came together and he was at a career high ranking of World No. 15. However, it was quite the journey to get to that ranking.
Denis Shapovalov in 2019
Early season
Shapovalov started off the year decently. He made the third round of the Australian Open before losing to Novak Djokovic in four sets, no shame in that. A couple quarterfinals during the winter indoor swing (although in Montpellier it only required winning one match) lead into a very successful Sunshine Double for the Canadian.
In Indian Wells, Shapovalov made the round of 16, which included a straight sets victory over Marin Cilic. Then, in Miami, Shapovalov made the semifinals. He beat a trio of young rising stars in succession, taking out Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Frances Tiafoe before bowing out to Roger Federer. Despite the loss to Federer, it was a very successful tournament for Shapovalov.
Mid-season slump
But, instead of using the momentum to go to new heights, Denis Shapovalov slumped. It was partially due to the tour moving on to clay, which is his worst surface. But, his poor play extended to the grass court season too. Between the end of Miami and the Canadian Open in August, Shapovalov won two matches, and those matches were not in succession. It was a disastrous time for Shapovalov, who was trying to go too big, as opposed to playing higher percentage tennis.
But, really at Winston-Salem, things started to click for Shapovalov. The Canadian made the semifinals without losing a set. While it wasn’t a monumental result, Shapovalov was finally able to limit the wild play that had become the new norm.
Shapovalov continued to improve at the US Open, making the third round and losing a very tight match to Gael Monfils. Following the US Open, in Chengdu, Shapovalov made the semifinals before falling to Pablo Carreno Busta.
Late-season resurgence
A few tournaments later, Shapovalov won the first ATP main tour tournament of his career. The Canadian beat Filip Krajinovic in the final, concluding the tournament without a single set dropped all week. Shapovalov’s was still hitting his huge groundstrokes, his lefty forehand and one-handed backhand both dangerous, but he was playing with much more control. A big part of this, perhaps, was due to Mikhail Youzhny joining the team.
Shapovalov ended the ATP season with a final in Paris, losing to Novak Djokovic. However, before playing Djokovic, Shapovalov had a string of impressive wins, taking out Fabio Fognini, Alexander Zverev, and Gael Monfils.
Shapovalov’s final event of the year was Davis Cup, where Canada made the final before losing to Spain. Shapovalov went 3-2 during the event, beating Berrettini, Fritz, and Khachanov, while losing to De Minaur and Nadal. Shapovalov’s win over Khachanov helped to catapult Canada into the final, but Nadal was just a little too much for Shapovalov to handle.
So, at a career high ranking, where does Shapovalov go from here? He would be wise to continue his coaching relationship with Youhzny, as the Russian brought a level of calm to the Shapovalov game that has not been experienced before. Shapovalov would be wise to keep this good thing going.
At World No. 15, Denis Shapovalov has established himself towards the very top of the game. A top 10 appearance in 2020 is well within reach.
Main Photo from Getty.
