From Injury To Mental Health - Denis Shapovalov Opens Up Ahead Of Estoril Campaign - UBITENNIS
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From Injury To Mental Health – Denis Shapovalov Opens Up Ahead Of Estoril Campaign

The world No.14 spoke about a variety of topics in Portugal ahead of his next campaign on the Tour.

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3 years ago

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Denis Shapovalov has officially landed in Estoril and on Monday he took the time to speak to the media ahead of his first match.

At the age of 22 he is the top seed in an ATP event for only the second time in his career after Sofia last year. He is one out of nine top 50 players in the Estoril draw with all of the six highest ranked players never previously playing in the tournament. Ahead of his first match, Shapovalov spoke about a variety of topics ranging from injury to bubble life on the Tour.

Why is he playing?

The Canadian confirmed the tournament reached out to him on Friday. He is coming off a third round loss to compatriot and good friend Felix Auger Aliassime in Barcelona where he made the decision with his team to play this week.

” I decided pretty late, I think they messaged me on Friday seeing if I want to play and I talk to Misha ( Youzhny) and my team and we decided it’s best to get a couple more matches in before Madrid,” said Shapovalov. “To get more points situations in so that’s really what I want to get from this week.”

Injury update

Shapovalov did confirm that he no longer has an issue with his shoulder and he feels fine and ready to go.

”The shoulder feels fine but I’m still feeling it, it’s nothing serious, something I can play through, and honestly just here to get some more matches.”

Nearly went to another country

He did confirm before deciding to play that he was planning to spend a couple days in Greece where he has a place but when he got the call he realized how close it was from Spain to Portugal so he opted to make the trip.

”It was a pretty easy transition, it was pretty easy because I was planning to practice 3-4 days with Misha in Barcelona before going to Greece and we thought it could help get my feet a little more wet on the surface and just play a little bit more points.”

Form isn’t as good as last year

Shapovalov mentioned that his game on clay is not where it was last year in Rome, but he continues to work at it.

” I don’t think it’s where it was in Rome but I feel like Rome was a follow up from a really good tournament in New York. I was playing with a lot of confidence and I felt like I could roll through that tournament even though I was going through jet lag there and my body did not feel good. Just my game wise I felt really confident so I played two matches in Barcelona and I at least wanted to get one more match before Madrid and Rome before these big tournaments and both these events. I have been able to go far before and I feel I can play really well there but I just wanted to play a little more and that’s why I chose to come to this tournament”.

Is he a differnt player on the clay?

Shapovalov was asked if he sees a difference in-game when he is playing on clay as opposed to playing on hard. As well as the difference in the return game.

”No I don’t think the way I play changes, you just try to build the points a little bit more and you try to be a bit more patient constructing it on the clay, a lot of the guys are far back, it’s more slower so it’s tougher to hit and come in, you have to really pick the right ball, whatever surface I am playing on I always try to play aggressive and come in so it doesn’t really change”.

When he is at his most dangerous

Shapovalov is a player who likes to build off confidence and stressed the importance of using it to get better results.

” I think it just comes from matches, from wins, I think at the end of the day I don’t really care who I play against, I’m going to play my game, going to go for it and that’s the mindset I try to have and it doesn’t matter who is on the other side and when I can rattle off a few wins that’s when I think I’m dangerous and that’s when I think I can beat anyone”.

Felix-Auger Aliassime friendship

He was even asked about his friendship with Felix Auger Aliassime who he recently played in Barcelona and the friendship runs deep and as far back as the junior level.

” It’s great to see how far we made it the two of us from juniors from junior regrouping all the way through the junior rankings through the futures, through challengers, bouncing off each other success and each other results and playing at the highest level for sure it’s a pretty special feeling, I think it’s pretty cool and it’s great for Canada and for tennis in Canada so I think there are so many positives from it”

Verdict on playing clay

Shapovalov did confirm however that clay is not his favourite surface and he actually prefers to play on other surfaces.

” If I am being completely honest I prefer other surfaces but I do feel I have had good success on clay and I am able to play on it and I do love the feeling of playing on clay and the sliding, it is more grueling and longer points, I think my favorite is grass, there are practically no rallies and just serves and returns and it’s perfect and it’s like Canadian tennis indoors on super fast surfaces so it’s awesome but I do think I am able to play well on clay and the results have shown that so I do enjoy it but I do tend to look forward to the grass-court season”.

Being the top seed

Being the tournament new number one seed after taking the wild card means he has a first round bye and will play his first match against the winner of Corentin Moutet and Marcus Giron. He gave his thoughts on his next potential opponent.

” A tricky match, either way, I’ll see how they are playing, I haven’t seen Giron play too much so I will try and check out the match and obviously I know Corentin ( Moutet) really well and we even have a song together so I know him really well but I think he’s a really good player, a crafty player and I know him really well from juniors and we go way back so either way a tricky match but honestly it’s what I want and it’s something I am looking forward to and I think it’s going to be fun to be out there, going to be a tough battle”.

He also confirmed he was able to practice and check out the conditions of the court.

”Not center court but today was my first practice day, I landed yesterday, slow conditions here, it’s a little bit windy but the weather changes quite a lot so a lot of different things coming into play but it’s clay courts and I feel they are different every day depending on the conditions, depending on the weather, the humidity, they always play differently”.

mental health

Shapovalov this season has stressed the importance of mental health. He has mentioned several times he would be taking more weeks off due to the fact every tournament he plays would be in a bubble environment due to Covid and again opened up about how he is feeling ahead of the tournament.

” I feel good, I mean If I wasn’t ready to be in the bubble I wouldn’t have come to play but I do feel fresh and after Miami, I chose not to play Monte Carlo just to rest to be out of it for this reason so I could be fresh leading up to this long swing of events, I feel fresh, I feel good, It’s also a really good place, the room has a balcony and they have done a really good job here so it’s a really nice bubble so to speak”.

Shapovalov will most likely play his first match on Tuesday or Wednesday.

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Wrist Injury Threatening To End Holger Rune’s Olympic Dream

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5 days ago

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21/07/2024

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Holger Rune will have a second medical opinion on Monday before deciding if he is fit enough to play at the Olympic Games, according to his team. 

The Danish world No.17 recently retired from his quarter-final match at the Hamburg Open due to a knee injury. The hope at the time was that his withdrawal would be just a precautionary measure ahead of the Olympics. However, he is also dealing with a second issue that appears to be more serious.

According to TV 2 Sport, Rune has been struggling with a wrist issue and underwent a scan on Sunday which his mother Aneke says ‘doesn’t look promising.’ Aneke is also the manager of her son’s career. Rune’s Olympic dreams now rest on the outcome of a second medical expert that he will visit tomorrow who has a better understanding of the sport. 

“Unfortunately, it does not look promising after the first medical opinion after the review of the scan of the wrist,” Aneke Rune told TV 2 Sport.

“We are waiting for two tennis-specific doctors who will give a second opinion tomorrow (Monday). Tennis wrists look different from regular wrists, so we’ll hold out hope for one more day.” 

Rune is one of three Danish players entered into the Olympic tennis event along with Caroline Wozniacki and Clara Tauson. The country has only won one medal in tennis before which was at the 1912 Games when Sofie Castenschiold won silver in the women’s indoor singles event. 

So far this season, the 21-year-old has won 27 matches on the Tour but is yet to claim a title. He reached the final of the Brisbane International and then the semi-finals of three more events. In the Grand Slams, he made it to the fourth round of the French Open and Wimbledon. 

It is not known when a final decision regarding Rune’s participation in Paris will be made.

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Hubert Hurkacz Undergoes ‘Knee Procedure’ Ahead of Olympic Bid

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1 week ago

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17/07/2024

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Poland’s top player on the ATP Tour is not giving up on his dream of winning a medal at the Olympic Games despite recently undergoing a medical procedure.

World No.7 Hubert Hurkacz suffered a knee injury during his second round clash at Wimbledon against France’s Arthur Fils. In the fourth set tiebreak of their clash, Hurkacz dived for a shot but landed badly on his knee and required on-court medical attention. He then played two more points before retiring from the match. 

In a social media post published on Wednesday, the  27-year-old confirmed he underwent a procedure on his knee earlier this week but didn’t provide any further details.  Although Hurkacz has stated his intention to play at the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris, where the tennis event will be held on the clay at Roland Garros. 

“I had a knee procedure this Monday, but I’m feeling better already and my team and are dedicating extensive time each day to the rehab process.” He wrote on Instagram. 

“It’s a dream for every athlete to represent their country at the Olympics, and I want to make sure I am fully fit and ready before making the final decision to step on court. The aim is not only to participate, but to win a medal for my country.”

So far this season Hurkacz has won 34 out of 48 matches played on the Tour. He won the Estoril Open in April and was runner-up to Jannik Sinner in Halle. 

The Olympic tennis event is scheduled to begin a week Saturday on July 27th. Poland is yet to win a medal in the event but expectations are high with women’s No.1 Iga Swiatek also taking part. 

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Motivation, Pressure And Expectations – Novak Djokovic Targets History At Wimbledon

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2 weeks ago

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13/07/2024

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image via x.com/wimbledon

Novak Djokovic has broken numerous records throughout his career but he still feels the pressure of trying to make history in the sport. 

The world No.2 is through to his 10th Wimbledon final where he will play Carlos Alcaraz, who beat him at this stage of the tournament 12 months ago. There is plenty on the line for the Serbian who could equal Roger Federer’s record for most men’s titles won at SW19 and break the overall record for most major singles won in the sport if he triumphs over the Spaniard. Djokovic currently has 24 Grand Slam trophies to his name which is the same as Margaret Court, who won some of her titles before the Open Era started. 

“Obviously I’m aware that Roger [Federer] holds eight Wimbledons. I hold seven. History is on the line.” Djokovic said on Friday after beating Lorenzo Musetti.

“Also, the 25th potential Grand Slam. Of course, it serves as a great motivation, but at the same time it’s also a lot of pressure and expectations.”

Coming into Wimbledon, there had been doubts over Djokovic’s form after he underwent surgery to treat a knee injury he suffered at the French Open. However, he has defied the odds to reach the final. His run has also seen him beat Alexi Popyrin and Holger Rune before getting a walkover in the quarter-finals from Alex de Minaur, who sustained an injury during the tournament. Then on Friday, he overcame a spirited Musetti in three sets. 

Despite the challenge, Djokovic has insisted that his expectations to do well are always high no matter what the situation is. During what has been a roller-coaster first six months of the season, he is yet to win a title this year or beat a player currently ranked in the top 10. Although he will achieve both of these if her beats Alcaraz on Sunday. 

“Every time I step out on the court now, even though I’m 37 and competing with the 21-year-olds, I still expect myself to win most of the matches, and people expect me to win, whatever, 99% of the matches that I play.” He said.

“I always have to come out on the court and perform my best in order to still be at the level with Carlos [Alcaraz] or Jannik [Sinner] or Sascha [Zverev] or any of those guys, Daniil [Medvedev]. 

“This year hasn’t been that successful for me. It’s probably the weakest results the first six months I’ve had in many years. That’s okay. I had to adapt and accept that and really try to find also way out from the injury that I had and kind of regroup.”

Djokovic hopes that a Wimbledon win will help turn his season around like it has done in the past for him. 

“Wimbledon historically there’s been seasons where I wasn’t maybe playing at a desired level, but then I would win a Wimbledon title and then things would change.” He commented.

“For example, that was the case in 2018 when I had elbow surgery earlier in the year, dropped my rankings out of top 20, losing in fourth round of Australian Open, I think it was quarters of Roland-Garros, and just not playing the tennis that I want to play. Then I won Wimbledon and then won US Open and then later on became No.1 very soon.”

Meanwhile, 21-year-old Alcaraz is hoping to stop Djokovic in his tracks. Should he defend his title at Wimbledon, he would become the first player outside the Big Three to do so since Pete Sampras more than 20 years ago. He has won their only previous meeting on the grass but trails their head-to-head 3-2. 

“I’m sure he knows what he has to do to beat me,” said Alcaraz.

“But I’m ready to take that challenge and I’m ready to do it well.”

When the two players take to the court to play in the Wimbledon final, Djokovic will be 15 years and 348 days older than Alcaraz. Making it the largest age gap in a men’s Grand Slam final since the 1974 US Open. Whoever is victorious will receive £2,700,000 in prize money. 

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