Denis Shapovalov’s fairytale run at the US Open might have come to an end, but he has big plans for the future both on and off the court.
The 18-year-old qualifier crashed out of New York in three tiebreak sets to Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain. Chances came and went for the Canadian, but it was Carreno Busta’s experience that prevailed. Moving the Spaniard into the last eight of a grand slam for a second time this season.
Despite the defeat, Shapovalov exits Flushing Meadows with a new sense of belief. Since January he has risen almost 200 places in the world rankings, helped significantly by his run to the semifinals of the Rogers Cup in August. In the past month the teenager has scored milestone wins over Juan Martin del Potro, Rafael Nadal and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
“The biggest lesson is that I’m able to compete with these guys. I still think I have a lot of work to do.” He concluded about his tour breakthrough.
“I mean, it’s just been two tournaments, but I really feel like I have to put in a lot of work this offseason to try and secure my spot in these rankings and just to be able to compete with these guys, yeah, week in and week out.”
Emerging as a future star of the sport, Shapovalov is eager to use his fame for the good. He may be a teenager himself, but the former junior Wimbledon champion aims to inspire a new generation of tennis players in his native country. A Canadian has never won a grand slam title in the Open Era.
“My goal is to raise the level of Canadian tennis and just have more kids picking up a racquet instead of a hockey stick. I think I have definitely helped to do that, and hopefully, you know, I can keep doing it.”He said.
“I know a lot of people were tweeting towards me that don’t even follow tennis, and they’re starting to get into the sport, you know, because I have been doing well.”
In order to fulfil his goal, Shapovalov is eager to improve his own game. His taste of of playing only his second grand slam main draw has left the Canadian wanting more. Describing his US Open experience as a ‘life-changing event.‘
Reflecting on his fourth round match, he relished playing on the Arthur Ashe Stadium and plans to return to the tournament in the future to ‘cause some damage.’
“My favorite memory was today, the sound, the roar of the crowd when I went to applaud them,” he said. “They were all screaming. It was so loud and it was a great moment for me. It really has a special place in my heart. New York will always have a special place for me.
“Hopefully I can come back here for many more years and just try to do some damage.”
How much damage the next generation star can do remains to be seen.
