Jannik Sinner: Denis Shapovalov’s Bitter Admission

Denis Shapovalov spoke again about his form during a press conference in Montreal: after a difficult stretch, the Canadian tennis player managed to reach the final of the Los Cabos tournament—a satisfying result despite his loss to Gea in the final: “I think I’m very satisfied with where I am right now; my priority isn’t the rankings but staying in shape and playing good tennis.”

“I think the level of tennis is very balanced right now. I feel like I can beat anyone on any given day, and maybe even some top players, aside from Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz,” the Canadian player admitted. “Apart from them, everyone else is within my reach.”

Shapovalov, considered a rising star early in his career, has been unable to maintain his form at the highest level, partly due to physical issues: “One of the reasons I came back after my knee injury and wanted to keep playing was because I felt I still had something to give to this sport, that I could achieve more. And I proved it: I won in Dallas and claimed two other titles. I haven’t yet managed to reach the same level in the biggest tournaments, but I’m very confident that I will.”

Earlier this season, Sinner and Shapovalov have already faced off at the Indian Wells Masters 1000, where the South Tyrolean won quite convincingly: 6-3, 6-2, with the match wrapping up in just over an hour. Overall, the two players have faced each other three times in their careers: the Italian won at Indian Wells and the U.S. Open, while the Canadian won their first meeting at the Australian Open, a hard-fought match that went to five sets.