DENIS THE MENACE
Canadian phenom Shapovalov powers through Rogers Cup field and is just one win away from final.
That’s what we call a conversation changer.
The moment Denis Shapovalov ripped his final forehand winner past a helpless Rafael Nadal to defeat the Spaniard on Thursday night at Uniprix Stadium in one of Canada’s most significant tennis achievements ever, it altered many of the important discussion points on the sport in this country.
With the constantly injured Milos Raonic seemingly stalled (albeit in the ATP’s top 10) and Eugenie Bouchard both plummeting in world rankings even further and complaining about the responsibilities of representing the Great White North, it was just about the perfect time for a new Canadian star to, in the immortal words of Ebby Calvin (Nuke) LaLoosh, announce his presence with authority.
Shapovalov did that at the Rogers Cup, blocking Nadal from returning to No. 1 in the world in a match that the Toronto native admitted he felt he had no chance of winning before it started.
He clinched the unthinkable comefrom-behind victory by dramatically winning seven of the final eight points in the third-set tiebreak, making himself the new focus of Canadian tennis at the tender age of 18. Raonic, now entering his prime at age 26, was never able to register a victory quite like that while a teenager. His biggest win so far probably came last year in the Wimbledon semifinals over Roger Federer.
But Raonic just can’t stay healthy for more than a few months at a time, and bombed out of this Rogers Cup early with a wrist problem. His health has been a significant part of the reason he’s so far not been able to win one of the big tournaments in his sport, either a Grand Slam event or a Masters-level tournament.
He’s still Canada’s best player, and still miles ahead of Shapovalov in the world rankings.
But the teenager is about to enter the top 100 with a bullet, and looks to be the next great thing in Canadian tennis.
Vasek Pospisil has done great things at Davis Cup, won a Wimbledon doubles crown, at one point worked himself inside the top 30 and even played Raonic in the Rogers Cup semis four years ago, but he is no longer viewed as anything but an occasional threat to the best singles players in the world.
Filip Peliwo, who won a Wimbledon junior title the same year Bouchard did, has been unable to get his career off the ground at all.
But Shapovalov, also a Wimbledon junior champ, surely has, beating Nick Kyrgios last year at the Rogers Cup and both Juan Martin del Potro and Nadal this year. He handled a disgraceful moment earlier this year in Ottawa fairly well — he struck a chair umpire in the eye with a ball while throwing a tantrum during a Davis Cup match and was disqualified — and showed up in Montreal with high profile supporters Wayne Gretzky and Penny Oleksiak in his box.
So Raonic is still our best. But Shapovalov, through to Saturday’s Rogers Cup semis, is now the one everyone’s talking about.
Bouchard, meanwhile, really put a dark cloud over the proceedings earlier in the week when, after losing in the first round again, she whined about the “burden” of carrying the Canadian flag into competition. It did make you wonder for a moment. Do we put too much pressure on our few tennis stars? Has it really dragged her down, inhibited her selfie-taking?
Then Shapovalov arrived to utterly dismiss that kind of talk. Burden? That kid looked like he could have floated out of the stadium, and other star Canadian athletes surely noticed. Without mentioning Bouchard by name, former Canadian national hockey team superstar Hayley Wick- enheiser tweeted, “Great match @denis_shapo!! See, it’s not a burden it’s a wave of Canadian energy pushing you from behind! Go for it! #rogerscup #Shapovalov”
Sounds like something Gretzky would say. Or tweet, if he was a tweeter.
Shapovalov clearly has the fire Bouchard once did back in the days when she would put temporary tattoos of Canadian flags on her face when she competed in Fed Cup. To be fair to her, we’ll see how he feels about things in another five years. Tennis can be a lonely sport, and she clearly feels very alone these days.
Not Shapovalov. Indeed, while he tries to catch up to Raonic, he’s staying with buddy Felix Auger-Aliassime, a 17-year-old Montrealer who won the junior boys title at the U.S. Open last fall and the doubles, too, with Shapovalov as his partner. Both have come through the Tennis Canada development system, evidence that it is working to produce top talent. Indeed, there are more than a few who believe Auger-Aliassime might be even better than Shapovalov has already proven to be. We’ll see about that.
What we do know is Shapovalov looks to have a more complete game than Raonic did at the same age, with a fearsome serve, a massive forehand, a flamboyant one-handed backhand and lots of nimbleness around the court. The volleying needs work, and he’s in the process of adding a slice backhand. Being a lefty, meanwhile, still comes with its advantages on tour. Just ask Nadal.
Raonic has been able to rise into the top 10 with his monster serve and by working as hard as anybody in the sport to address his vulnerabilities, both through tireless effort and by assembling a top-notch team around him. And still, the top titles have proven elusive.
So Shapovalov still has lots and lots of miles to go. But he’s flashy and exciting, perhaps the most exciting and outwardly passionate player Canadian tennis has produced. That personality ignited that fiasco in Ottawa earlier this year. The umpire suffered a fractured eye socket, but Shapovalov apologized publicly for his conduct and privately to the umpire, paid his $7,000 fine and has moved on. He needs to make sure that temper stays in check.
The tennis world was watching his win over Nadal, and so was Canada. All eyes are now squarely on Shapovalov as the one to watch.
Raonic still has the ranking and that incredible serve. But Shapovalov clearly has our undivided attention. Damien Cox is the co-host of Prime Time Sports on Sportsnet 590 The FAN. He spent nearly 30 years covering sports for The Star. Follow him @DamoSpin. His column appears Tuesday and Saturday.