What we know about Denis Shapovalov, Richmond Hill’s 18-year-old tennis phenom
Richmond Hill’s Denis Shapovalov lost Saturday’s semi-final at the Rogers Cup, but you wouldn’t know it from the excitement surrounding the young tennis player. His run deep into the tournament was unprecedented for an 18-year-old. Even more impressive: on his way to the semifinals, he defeated top seed Rafael Nadal. Here’s what we know about the pride of York Region.
He’s been biding his time for years
Nine years before he upset Nadal, Shapovalov posed with him at the 2008 Rogers Cup:
Back to the future: that time @denis_shapo was a mascot for Rafael Nadal in 2008…#CoupeRogers pic.twitter.com/Tl4toivrGh
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 11, 2017
He learned from his mother
Shapovalov was born in Tel Aviv, and his family moved to Canada when he was a baby, according to the Montreal Gazette. He wanted to play hockey—he has the hair for it, after all—but his parents were afraid he’d get hurt. His mother, Tessa, who played tennis in the Soviet Union, launched her own coaching program, TessaTennis, where he could fine-tune his backhand:
He’s getting attention from the sports establishment
Wayne Gretzky is a Shapovalov fan. He has said the young player “has ice in his veins.”
Sitting in front row Wayne Gretzky drops his phone during Nadal Shapovalov match at #RogersCup Funny stuff #ATP #NHL pic.twitter.com/BPnFYaKFhy
— John Horn (@SportsHorn) August 11, 2017
Shapovalov is also buds with swimmer Penny Oleksiak:
And he looks at home among some of the world’s top tennis players:
Crisp hitting from @andy_murray and @denis_shapo at the #Wimbledon practice courts… pic.twitter.com/OhHbxmMiY1
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 26, 2017
He’s got a strict training regimen
Sportsnet reported that Shapovalov had been training with a coach in Austria, and was set to spend time in Spain.
He takes training breaks to torture fellow athletes:
He also battles rubber bands:
And tempts fate on exercise balls:
Balance is ? pic.twitter.com/2oBQ9814g0
— Denis Shapovalov (@denis_shapo) April 13, 2017
He takes chances
Roger Federer watched Shapovalov at Wimbledon, and told the CBC he’d noticed the youngster’s “risky” style of play. “He kept going for the biggest shots: forehands, backhands and serves.”
Sometimes, his approach is even riskier than that. For example, this between-the-legs shot:
