{"id":16207,"date":"2019-06-22T14:03:56","date_gmt":"2019-06-22T18:03:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/?p=16207"},"modified":"2019-06-28T10:35:34","modified_gmt":"2019-06-28T14:35:34","slug":"what-has-happened-to-denis-shapovalov","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2019\/06\/22\/what-has-happened-to-denis-shapovalov\/","title":{"rendered":"What has Happened to Denis Shapovalov?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>After watching Denis Shapovalov play Juan Martin del Potro at <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2019\/06\/17\/atp-queens-club-championships-day-2-predictions-juan-martin-del-potro-vs-denis-shapovalov\/\" target=\"_self\">Queen\u2019s Club<\/a>, he hung his head in despair. Yet, another first-round loss for Shapovalov. Yet, another opportunity by the wayside. Shapovalov looks as if he has zero confidence in his shots and, at this point, he can\u2019t even win a set, let alone a match, or a tournament. His game appears to be in complete disarray.<\/p>\n<h2>Where is the Denis Shapovalov we knew?<\/h2>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1156963754\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 74.242424% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/1156963754?et=BlqRdSWBRbdWOa02OYyiFA&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=PBauqZy3nIivuC-KFbwIM4PSwGHQ7UL0OKO-OiA_U9U=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" width=\"594\" height=\"441\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>When Shapovalov first appeared on the scene, he was brimming with confidence. Powerful ground strokes, and that wicked lefty serve which confounded his opponents. He had a wonderful, competent, knowledgeable coach, in Martin Laurendeau. Suddenly, about a year ago at this time, everything seemed to fall apart. Martin left due to back problems, and Shapovalov\u2019s Mom took over. It seemed to be her decision to revamp or revise Denis\u2019 serve. That was a disaster which took months to fix. It\u2019s amazing that Shapovalov even remained in the top 30 in the world.<\/p>\n<h2>Enter Rob Steckley<\/h2>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1137228767\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 66.66667% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/1137228767?et=WlJ5D0_gSuVB_Itc5K1XyA&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=RxK2M4IyokscoqSYaHzDXD4DsHpABMcOnYJf9b7AVXg=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" width=\"594\" height=\"396\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Towards the end of last year, Shapovalov made an out of the box coaching choice with Rob Steckley. But, they seemed to relate well to each other. Shapovalov&#8217;s serve returned with a vengeance, and he seemed completely comfortable with Steckley\u2019s techniques. Shapovalov didn\u2019t do well at the AO, but then drawing Novak Djokovic in the third round didn\u2019t help. He continued making inroads until that marvelous run in Miami where he reached another Masters SF. The next day it was announced Steckley and Shapovalov would be parting ways. No explanation has ever been given.<\/p>\n<h2>The Slide<\/h2>\n<p>Since Steckley\u2019s exit, Shapovalov has been 2-10 with a completely dismal clay-court season, and now half of the grass court season is done, and he\u2019s been poor in singles yet again. Surprisingly so, he did well at Stuttgart in doubles with Rohan Bopanna with whom he reached the finals. In doubles play, Shapovalovs appeared confident, happy and capable. In singles it\u2019s been the complete opposite.<\/p>\n<p>As he faced del Potro yesterday morning, there were flashes of his old brilliance, but they were few and far between. He gave up his serve twice, and that was enough. The \u2018old\u2019 Shapovalov would have fought much harder, and at least pushed the match to three sets.<\/p>\n<h2>What\u2019s Happened?<\/h2>\n<p>One can only speculate on what\u2019s happened with Shapovalov. From the outside, it appears to begin and end with coaching. While his junior coach was great for the junior circuit, it may have been a mistake to bring him on at this point in Shapovalov&#8217;s career. Shapovalov\u2019s results bear that out. It&#8217;s clear he has significant issues with a consistently poor return of serve, and a tendency to maintain the same tactics in match, even when they&#8217;re not working.<\/p>\n<p>Online discussions range from maintaining belief in Shapovalov\u2019s talent, to sharing opinions that this will be Shapovalov\u2019s career. Although his slide is disconcerting, it is not yet time to declare his singles career over.<\/p>\n<p>Part of his decline is definitely due to an undisciplined style of play that relies on flashy shots rather than steady, practical play. Shapovalov seems to relish in pulling off the dynamic shots, but less interested in playing disciplined points. The latter wins matches. The former does not.<\/p>\n<h2>What must Denis\u00a0Shapovalov do?<\/h2>\n<p>He must find a coach to help him turn this around. It\u2019s clear his current coach has no idea how to guide, or help Denis Shapovalov. Some top-level coaches might be the answer. Here are some suggestions:<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Darren Cahill<br \/>\n\u2022 Boris Becker<br \/>\n\u2022 Stefan Edberg<br \/>\n\u2022 Frank Dancevic<\/p>\n<p>Out of the box ideas:<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Daniel Nestor<br \/>\n\u2022 John McEnroe<br \/>\n\u2022 Martina Navratilova<br \/>\n\u2022 Rob Steckley<\/p>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/633591610\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 60.43771% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/633591610?et=tbLMCyLdQ01RjspKkgSKxA&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=vEqaHyvCe2JKL-PbqoX-WAwERrOAevMidl8OYX9xznQ=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" width=\"594\" height=\"359\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>No one outside of Shapovalov\u2019s team truly knows what\u2019s going on. But, whatever it is, Shapovalov needs to fix it fast. There are too many good young players coming up and he could be left behind very quickly. For someone with his raw talent, that would be a shame. I firmly believe Tennis Canada should do what they can to help Shapovalov. This is not just for him, but for tennis in Canada. Let\u2019s hope this diamond in the rough can find his way.<\/p>\n<p>Main Photo:<\/p>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1156937484\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 70.53873% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/1156937484?et=ELH4MHEjTrFH2gKxxHSr9A&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=3QSo4Fe8AUiUDIpG96vH2Rd6I8qHYMOegQKmmi8g4dg=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" width=\"594\" height=\"419\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After watching Denis Shapovalov play Juan Martin del Potro at Queen\u2019s Club, he hung his head in despair. Yet, another first-round loss for Shapovalov. Yet, another opportunity by the wayside. Shapovalov looks as if he has zero confidence in his shots and, at this point, he can\u2019t even win a set, let alone a match, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3068,"featured_media":16374,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"700","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,10,2],"tags":[6734,6736,326,292,2625,776,6733,160,6735,6673,6672,2733,6732,344,2301,21],"class_list":["post-16207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-atp","category-editorials","category-featured","tag-atp-london-queens","tag-atp-queens","tag-boris-becker","tag-canadian-tennis","tag-darren-cahill","tag-denis-shapovalov","tag-denis-shapovalov-tennis","tag-john-mcenroe","tag-london-queens","tag-martin-laurendeau","tag-rob-steckley","tag-shapovalov","tag-shapovalov-tennis","tag-stefan-edberg","tag-tennis-canada","tag-wimbledon"],"modified_by":"Ben Kerr","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3068"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16207"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16207\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}