The Shape Of Things To Come: Denis Shapovalov!

Considering that Kyrgios was and remains a former player, I'm pleased that at least Shapovalov is showing signs of life.
Thus the chances of having a possible crossbreeding with Sinner increase, and so does the possibility that Sinner will make him bitterly regret on the field about being a braggart on social media.
Revenge is a dish best served cold.

Assuming and not granting that it isn't yet another flash in the pan of this overrated guy.
 
It's been a long time coming but, wow, Denis is back!!! THREE top #10 players in a row (the 3 top seeds) which only 3 other players have done since category introductions of 500s and 250s back in 2009.

How far can he progress from here? Can he keep up this momentum and put himself back in contention for something bigger??
 
His standout quality is not his strokeplay, it's his athleticism. Someone called him catlike. He's got fantastic instincts around the court and can stop from full sprint and change direction on a dime. He moves as quickly as anyone I've seen on the tour. Makes Alcaraz and DiMinaur look almost flat footed in comparison.
 
Localfoc said:
His standout quality is not his strokeplay, it's his athleticism. Someone called him catlike. He's got fantastic instincts around the court and can stop from full sprint and change direction on a dime. He moves as quickly as anyone I've seen on the tour. Makes Alcaraz and DiMinaur look almost flat footed in comparison.
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That was me. And yes I agree.

He has the quickest feet on tour, he gets turned for the BH so fast.

Interestingly, I didn't see him do any of those crazy skywalker jumping backhands. Either it's part of his new effort to play controlled, or his knee injury has robbed him of some explosion. But he didn't look any slower than in the past
 
After re-watching the finals highlights v Ruud, Shapo is truly looking like a modern game Federer. His platform serve finding 13 aces to 2 double faults is impressive for the well known inconsistency of his service game. He utilized his massive forehand to find angles and blast winners keeping Ruud who already plays deep even more pressed back on defense allowing him to use well disguised drop shots effectively and in appropriate situations not just throwing them in there because he didn't know what else to do as he has done in the past. His shot making and backhands down the line were simply unplayable at times. He used his slice sparingly as usual but when he did use it, it was to neutralize bigger shots and prolong rallies showing his shot tolerance although still not very high is a lot better and could be the reason he is adopting this hyper aggressive net play we saw. In my opinion I think the most Federer like quality we saw was his point construction leading up to the aggression and willingness to come to net for volleys, short balls, and put aways ending points as often as possible however.

All in all we saw what Shapo is capable of, being a complete all court player. Now if he can maintain this level consistently (which I am hopeful yet skeptical of) I'd say he's slated to make some deeper runs at slams (probably not win) and finish in the top 10 as I think it's probably the weakest it's been in a long time. However, I like to enjoy the present and temper my expectations. I think a realistic year end finish would be top 20 with some deeper runs and a couple more titles. Only time will tell!
 
Hope he keeps it up! I enjoy watching his game. Hard to predict with his inconsistency, never know if he'll just lose it in another month, split up with his coach, and go back to doing nothing... but I'll enjoy the good play while it lasts!
 
GrassCourtFan said:
Hope he keeps it up! I enjoy watching his game. Hard to predict with his inconsistency, never know if he'll just lose it in another month, split up with his coach, and go back to doing nothing... but I'll enjoy the good play while it lasts!
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I think we're past all that. Lots of his problems were due more to physical condition than being a head case.
 
Echoing what others have said, Shapovalov is just so talented and so entertaining to watch when he's going. The problem is he has always been frustrating to watch at the same time. You are always left thinking, if he can find a little consistency and rhythm, what if....

Either way, thrilled that he got to bag his first 500 title! Even more cool that he beat the top 3 seeds (3 top 10 players) to do it. Just goes to show how a talented, attacking player can really shake things up on today's tour.
 
GrassCourtFan said:
Hope he keeps it up! I enjoy watching his game. Hard to predict with his inconsistency, never know if he'll just lose it in another month, split up with his coach, and go back to doing nothing... but I'll enjoy the good play while it lasts!
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Who's coaching him now? I didn't recognize anyone in his box.
 
Yes, Denis Shapovalov has been drawn against Cameron Norrie in first-round action between two unseeded players in Acapulco. The Briton currently leads their head-to-head 2-0, but they haven't played each other in nearly four years and Norrie has been struggling for form of late. The winner of that match will take on either Matteo Arnaldi or the top seed Alexander Zverev.
 
Joseph_K said:
Yes, Denis Shapovalov has been drawn against Cameron Norrie in first-round action between two unseeded players in Acapulco. The Briton currently leads their head-to-head 2-0, but they haven't played each other in nearly four years and Norrie has been struggling for form of late. The winner of that match will take on either Matteo Arnaldi or the top seed Alexander Zverev.
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Would love to see Shapo dismantle Norrie, he's like the antithesis of Shapo.

He beat Fritz, and pretty convincingly...Fritz has beaten Zverev recently. I'm struggling to find a reason to say that Shapo can't beat Zverev if he's in full form
 
placebo said:
Did Shapo inspire Stef to finally get his ish together? ;) I'm loving this season's resurgence of one-handers that some had already written off.
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Yes, there are a bunch of good one-handers out there now..

"rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated."
 
Denis is taking this title, calling it now. The players remaining are nowhere near the guys he dismembered in Dallas, and Giron is just the kind of player he'd have a Kyrgios-type letdown against in the past--so a great sign for his mental game that he was able to switch tactics and get it done after losing the first set.
 
turned this off after first set and his mini-meltdown. was thinking 'eh here we go'...very nice to see he turned it around. 3 and 2 to close, obviously gained momentum. we'll see which ADF shows up in next match, and machac playing good tennis..but denis certainly has a chance here. 2 in a row would be a big deal.
 
mental midget said:
just watched giron highlights. i think the thing i'm liking most is that denis is, dare i say, almost patient off the ground these days. hanging around in rallies, not pulling trigger on every 3rd ball, waiting for openings...his stroke production and footwork are looking solid, consistent...looking good.
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I've been saying since the end of last season that his rally ball tolerance has been one of if not the biggest improvement in his game. The thing I noticed the most is how composed on court he has been. I just watched the highlights myself and in the first point they show where he shanks a forehand to give Giron a break, Shapo doesn't get frustrated and throw his racket, blast the ball out of the stadium, or scream. Instead he calmly places the ball in his pocket down on the court and looks over at his box. I'm pretty sure this is something people to to help with anger management. Later in the highlights you see more errors from Shapo and he either makes light of it or looks over at his box with a face looking for advice not of frustration. He looks like a completely different player mentally.
 
SirCraigoryy said:
I've been saying since the end of last season that his rally ball tolerance has been one of if not the biggest improvement in his game. The thing I noticed the most is how composed on court he has been. I just watched the highlights myself and in the first point they show where he shanks a forehand to give Giron a break, Shapo doesn't get frustrated and throw his racket, blast the ball out of the stadium, or scream. Instead he calmly places the ball in his pocket down on the court and looks over at his box. I'm pretty sure this is something people to to help with anger management. Later in the highlights you see more errors from Shapo and he either makes light of it or looks over at his box with a face looking for advice not of frustration. He looks like a completely different player mentally.
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Yes

He has matured and is harnessing his scary talent (most talented player we have ever seen IMO)

It's a strange thing, seeing all the hype around Sinner and Alcaraz and Djoko while there's this guy flying under the radar who can be better than all of them on any given day. The casual fan doesn't even know this is happening but we could be seeing The Messiah
 
Rosstour said:
Denis is taking this title, calling it now. The players remaining are nowhere near the guys he dismembered in Dallas, and Giron is just the kind of player he'd have a Kyrgios-type letdown against in the past--so a great sign for his mental game that he was able to switch tactics and get it done after losing the first set.
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Exactly, re Giron types and former letdowns. Go ***** Shap!
 
Kralingen said:
He has the eye of the tiger right now… I’m telling you, I haven’t seen him playing like this in a long time. I’m noticing little things. Watch out
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God I hope so. If he puts it all together that's great news for the tour. Big talent, entertaining style and charisma, kind of like the new age Dimitrov for me. We need you Shap, don't screw it up this time. Don't be Dimi Part Two
 
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