ATP: Denis Shapovalov was “overwhelmed” by the hype about his person.

Canadian youngster Denis Shapovalov celebrated his breakthrough on the ATP tour last season in 2017. However, the hype surrounding him was unusual for the 18-year-old.

Denis Shapovalov is one of the absolute sensational players of the past season and has already celebrated victories against the top stars of the Tour in his breakthrough year.

The most prominent example of this is probably Shapovalov’s victory over Rafael Nadal in his home country of Canada. At the Masters in Montréal, the 18-year-old played his way into the hearts of tennis fans and beat the world’s number one in three sets. In the previous round, he knocked out Argentinean Juan Martín del Potro.

The fact that this success did not go unnoticed left-handers felt it in their spare time. A short walk in Toronto turned out to be more difficult than expected:”It was really cool and I quickly became famous – especially in Toronto. After the US Open I wanted to walk through a shopping street, but I was stopped by other people all the time,”Shapovalov explained at The Stuff.

At the Grand Slam in New York, the youngster also set an exclamation mark and played his way into the last sixteen, losing in three sets in the tiebreak.

According to Shapovalov, the hustle and bustle around him has now subsided somewhat. I have to admit that it was quite overwhelming. It was also unusual to see my face on the covers of various newspapers,”continued the current number 51 in the world.

One reason for the hype and interest in his success is Shapovalov’s choice of his sport:”When you play in a team, you can have a bad day and get away with it. The team can still win. But the opposite can also be the case. You play well and still lose. That’s the beauty of tennis, because I have everything under control and I’m responsible for myself,”says the star of NextGen. It is precisely for this reason that people’s attention is also higher.

The 18-year-old was honored with two ATP awards for his outstanding achievements at the Nitto ATP Finals in London. Among other things, he was named “Star of tomorrow” and took part in the NextGen finals in Milan.