Denis Shapovalov has established himself among the top 50 tennis players in the world. The Canadian looks back on his year 2018 with satisfaction.
At the end of the season the air was out at Denis Shapovalov’s – the only 19-year-old Canadian did without a start at the #NextGen-Masters in Milan, the exhaustion had broken its path. And hadn’t come out of nowhere: Already in the weeks before the U-21 show Shapovalov’s performances gradually decreased, the best result was the semi-final entry in Madrid, where later champion Alexander Zverev finished.
Nevertheless – the new season will begin Shapovalov at position 27 of the ATP world rankings. And thus much better than the Canadian had anticipated before the start of last season.
“My only goal at the beginning of the season was to stay in the top 50,” said Shapovalov a few days ago in Canada. “Ending the year in 27th place is great for me.” It’s inspiring in view of the coming season, which he will begin in Auckland like the one just passed. In 2018 he was defeated there by Juan Martin del Potro.
Denis Shapovalov finished last season with three defeats, the final match being the bankruptcy against Richard Gasquet in Paris-Bercy. The last highlight was reaching the semi-finals in Tokyo. There the Tel Aviv-born Canadian Daniil Medvedev was defeated.