Canada’s Peliwo riding in Shapovalov’s wake
Ex-Wimbledon junior champ’s game ‘changed for the better’ in ITF Futures
Denis Shapovalov and Filip Peliwo are two great young Canadian tennis players sharing the same dream.
And while both made Canadian tennis history of sorts by winning Wimbledon junior titles in 2016 and 2012 respectively, the paths they’ve taken from there couldn’t be more different.
In the same week Shapovalov, 18, awaits his second-round match at the U.S. Open in New York, the 23-year-old Peliwo is playing in a third-tier ITF Futures tourney at the Calgary Tennis Club.
One is chasing his share of a US$50-million purse in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., while the other hopes for a solid chunk of the $25,000 at stake in Alberta.
One is ranked 69th in the world and became a household name this summer when he broke through to the semifinals of the Rogers Cup in Montreal by beating secondranked Rafael Nadal along the way.
The other is ranked 282nd and is still looking for houses to billet in weekly as he searches to find the touch that made him the world’s best junior just five years back.
So what does Peliwo figure the difference is between their varied forays into the pro tennis world?
“It’s hard to compare — everyone has a different path,” said the Vancouver native before Tuesday’s 6-2, 7-6 (3) first-round win over Calgary qualifier Harrison Scott.
“I’d say the difference is consistency, mental sharpness and extra confidence at the right time — a lot of little things that come together. It comes down to reading the game and knowing when to go for it and when to pull back. It’s hard to pinpoint the difference, but there’s not a lot separating those guys. You just need a few wins at the bigger levels and you get momentum.”
Shapovalov found exactly that in Montreal earlier this month when the brash lefty knocked off four players ranked in the top 64 before falling to eventual tourney winner Alexander Zverev in the semis. It bumped Shapovalov’s ranking up and netted him $220,000, which is more than Peliwo’s career earnings over the last five years.
Peliwo had a similar opportunity in 2013 when he got his first win at the Rogers tourney in Montreal, only to lose a tight, three-set match to 66th-ranked Denis Istomin.
“Had I won that (second) round, I would have played Novak Djokovic on centre court and maybe that could have changed quite a bit. I try not to dwell on it. It’s one of those what-ifs? I could drive myself crazy if I wanted to, but it would have been great. Getting a win up there was an amazing feeling.”
Having experienced life inside the world’s highest profile lines gives him plenty of motivation to keep climbing.
“It’s glamorous at the top and more of a struggle in Futures,” Peliwo admitted.
Adding insult to his injuries last year was a decision by Tennis Canada to reassign his coach Martin Laurendeau to Shapovalov. Peliwo wasn’t happy about it, but he understood the rationale behind it and insists it hasn’t hurt his trajectory now that Frederic Niemeyer is his overseer.
Make no mistake, it’s not a tale of woe for Peliwo.
He’s been bouncing back well from missing seven months due to injury last year, which hurt his ranking and damaged his chances of moving up the tennis ladder.
This year, he’s the most decorated player on the Futures Tour, winning six tournaments and losing in a final, which has him in line for his next three tournaments at the Challenger level.
“My game has changed for the better — I’m close to getting back to my identity as a player,” Peliwo said.