Surging Shapovalov emerges as French Open dark horse

Mark Masters

SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

Follow| Archive

PARIS – Denis Shapovalov was walking through the airport in Brisbane, Australia earlier this year when something caught his eye. It was a stuffed animal. A wolf, to be precise.  

"My team considers us to be the wolfpack," the 19-year-old said. “I consider myself like a wolf, you know, kind of silent, but I like to stalk my prey and I can be pretty vicious, when I want to be, on the court. We thought, ‘Hey, let’s get him and let’s call him our mascot.'"

And sure enough the wolf – named, 'Storm,' according to the tag it came with – has been a mainstay in Shapovalov’s player box ever since. 

"He helps me get through some tough battles," the wunderkind from Richmond Hill, Ont. said with a smile. 

Lately, Shapovalov has been battling his way into the conversation when it comes to clay court contenders. After a sluggish start with one-and-done efforts on the dirt in Budapest and Monte Carlo, Shapovalov won six of eight matches at 1,000-level events in Madrid and Rome. 

“Obviously, his game is better suited for the quicker courts at Wimbledon and the hard courts," said analyst John McEnroe, a winner of seven singles grand slams, "but I think he proved to some people that he can do what he needs to do on any surface by winning some matches on clay. He pulled out some really close matches so that’s going to give him confidence."

Shapovalov, a junior champion at Wimbledon in 2016, has thrived on faster surfaces, but is now enjoying a surprisingly strong clay-court campaign. Among his impressive wins over the last few weeks, Shapovalov bested Tomas Berdych (No. 17), Kyle Edmund (No. 22), Milos Raonic (No. 24) and Robin Haase (No. 44). 

“A couple weeks ago I would've said clay is my least favourite surface,” Shapovalov noted, “but now I can say I’m pretty comfortable on it. I’m playing really well on it. These past couple weeks have really helped my confidence on these courts.”

The French Open is the only grand slam where Shapovalov has yet to play a main draw match. He lost in the first round of qualifying a year ago, which gives you a sense of just how meteoric his rise has been. 

After exploding onto the scene in 2017 with a spirited run to the semi-finals at the 1,000-level event in Montreal and a push to the fourth round at the U.S. Open, Shapovalov has continued his rise in 2018. He started the year at No. 51, but is now up to No. 26 in the ATP rankings and will be seeded at a grand slam for the first time at the French Open. 

“I’ve improved a lot, but I think the biggest improvement has come in my mind,” said Shapovalov, a semifinalist at the junior French Open in 2016. “Mentally I’ve matured a lot. I’m fighting for all my matches. That’s probably the biggest thing.”

At the highest levels of tennis it’s often the players who handle the pressure the best that come out on top. Shapovalov proved he could more than hold his own by shocking Rafael Nadal in a final set tiebreak last summer in Montreal. He followed that up by upsetting Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in a night match at Arthur Ashe Stadium in the second round of the U.S. Open. 

Shapovalov is 15-8 in matches that go the distance in his ATP career, including 8-3 this season. 

"He's got a swagger," said Jim Courier, a former World No. 1 now working for the Tennis Channel. "He likes the spotlight and seems to be fearless. He likes to work from everything I hear about him and with (coach) Martin Laurendeau he has really good guidance, veteran, capable leadership there. So, there’s no mistake and no mystery that he’s catapulted himself into the conversation this quickly. He’s got a lot to work with and he’s working hard with it.” 

The heightened expectations this season haven’t fazed Shapovalov. In fact, he seems to feed off it. This year, he became the youngest player to crack the Top 30 since Richard Gasquet in 2005. 

"His flair for the dramatic, especially last year in Canada, is really impressive," said James Blake, a former World No. 4, who’s also with the Tennis Channel. "He doesn’t seem to get nervous. He doesn’t get in awe of the moment, which is really incredible for an 18, 19-year-old player. He just has a lot of potential."

Shapovalov’s clutch credentials have been bolstered even more of late as four of his last five wins came in three-set affairs, including a deciding tiebreak against Berdych. 

“There’s been a lot in the last couple weeks,” Shapovalov said when asked which recent matches illustrate his mental growth. “One tough one was against Benoit Paire. It was a really close match (7-6, 4-6, 6-4 in Madrid) with both of us really playing well and I thought a couple times it could slip and go his way, but I stayed tough there. Against Berdych, I had a really tough first set (1-6) and managed to come back and fight it out. It’s matches like this that really build my confidence and I feel ready for Roland Garros.”

Many of Shapovalov’s big wins have come against bigger players, literally. Shapovalov stands just six-feet tall. 

“He’s not as big as a lot of these other guys,” observed McEnroe. “He makes up for that because he’s very fast and he has that live arm. When he played (the six-foot-five) Berdych it seemed like he was as tall as him and then when they shook hands you realize there’s a four or five inch disadvantage in height so he’s going to have to overcome that and that’ll be an issue at times, but for a guy his size he plays a big guy’s tennis."

In Madrid, Shapovalov lost in the semi-finals against Alexander Zverev, who is the No. 2 seed at the French Open. In Rome, it was Nadal, the No. 1 player in the world, who ended his tournament with a routine 6-4, 6-1 result. The King of Clay will be seeking his 11th title at Roland Garros and is as dominant as ever on the surface winning 19 of his 20 matches so far this season. 

"I’ve been trying to watch a lot of his matches just to pick up on his game and how he plays as a lefty to bother opponents on this surface and I learned quite a bit,” said Shapovalov, a fellow southpaw. "But when you play him, it’s something different. He’s so fast, so good and you can see why he’s such a champion on this court. He doesn’t give you an inch. Every point you have to be there battling with him. If you’re gone for a game, he makes you pay for it."

Shapovalov may get another crack at Nadal as early as the fourth round at the French Open. But to get there, he’ll need to navigate what appears to be a workable draw. It all starts on Tuesday against Australian John Millman, currently ranked No. 58. If Shapovalov wins that match, he would then face No. 56 Ryan Harrison or No. 69 Maximilian Marterer in the second round. American Jack Sock (No. 14) would be his first seeded opponent in the third round. Shapovalov has never faced any of those players on tour before. 

"To be honest, there are no really big expectations on myself for this tournament," Shapovalov said. "I feel like I’ve already improved so much on the clay courts and my season has been unbelievable so every match that I win here is a bonus.”

But nobody would be all that surprised if the feisty teenager made another big splash on the big stage. 

“I’ve talked to a few of the guys who have played him and when they played him it’s not like this is something where they think this is just a flash in the pan or something where he got a little lucky or got hot for a stretch,” said Blake. “He’s the real deal. He’s ready to play and he’s ready to be at this level, which isn’t easy to do these days, to be physically ready at 19. I mean, (six-foot-six) Sacha Zverev is one of the ones who are the most impressive, but Shapovalov, to be at this level, to be Top 50 in the world, really knocking on the door at Top 30, at Top 20 at 19, is really remarkable and he still has a lot to learn and he’s going to keep getting better and better.”

Shapovalov has won over many fans with his swashbuckling style and many former players have identified him as a key member of the Next Generation of stars. McEnroe, for example, invited him to the inaugural Laver Cup last year as a captain’s pick. What did they talk about during the international exhibition pitting Team Europe against the rest of the World? 

"'Will you play next year?' That was one of the things,” McEnroe said with a smile. “I’d love to see him in Chicago. And if there’s any way I can be of assistance, I’d love to be. He’s going to be great whether or not I’m around him, but, he’s one of those rare guys where there’s so many comparisons (to my game), it was hard not to think, like, it’d be nice to see him do some big things. It’s a great shot in the arm for our sport right now.”