A new coach, a new haircut and a new outlook on life – Denis Shapovalov is growing up fast.
The 19-year-old Canadian wunderkind is in the third round of the Australian Open for the first time in his life, there to face Novak Djokovic, and he is understandably thrilled. Woo-hoo: only 19 and playing one of the greatest players in history on one of the biggest stages in the world. Livin’ the dream, dude; livin’ the dream.
But there is rather more to young Denis than that. Yes, he knows his place in the pecking order but after his first full year on the tour – it amuses him to think of himself as a ‘veteran’ of the tour now – he is learning fast. He has seen the big boys in action and he thinks he knows how to match them.
“Novak is definitely one of the big guys I really admired and looked up to growing up,” he said. “It's definitely going to be awesome, just awesome to play against him, see how my game matches up against his.
“Honestly, there's no pressure on me now. Obviously he's the favourite to win. I'm just going to go out there, give it my best shot, and see what happens. I think I've been playing really good tennis, so if that continues, I think I could have a chance to really make it a battle and a tough match for him. Hopefully potentially even try to win the match.”
For the past year, Shapovalov has been soaking up information like a sponge. Everything from what and when to eat (it sounds simple but it can make all the difference before a match), when to hang around the courts and when to go home, when to play and when to rest – it all adds up, and every experience is locked away in the memory banks for future reference.
“Now I feel like I really know myself,” he said. “I feel like this year is a year for me to kind of help myself. Last year was, like, learning, okay, this didn't work, this is better for me. Now I know what's really good for me. That's why I feel like this tournament I've been able to play so well.”
Ah, yes – the tennis. There is not a part of the court that the left-handed Shapovalov cannot make his own. He has the facility to play almost any shot which not only looks incredibly flashy but also earns him free points and cheap points. Yet the pizzazz he brings to the court, that flamboyance the crowd loves so much, is based on solid foundations. With every passing month, he is learning to put all these component parts together to form a formidable fighting unit.
“I think probably two years ago I was just happy to be on the court with the top guys, get a couple games. Now I'm thinking how am I going to give a fight to this guy, how am I going to win sets and potentially even the match?
“I feel like if I do play good tennis, my best level, it will definitely be a good fight. I'll have a chance to make it a battle out there. That's what I mean in terms of my game's reached another level. Now I feel like I'm actually there and able to compete with these guys.
“I feel very solid as a player now. I feel like I've secured my spot in kind of the ATP Tour, in the rankings. I feel like my level is really there now. It's a super proud moment for me.”
But it was not always good news and positivity. In his first year as a pro, he beat Rafael Nadal in the Masters 1000 in Canada. Suddenly he was the talk of the town. But, as is always the way, having beaten Rafa once, he was expected to beat him every time. And he was still only 17. If he won a match, no one batted an eyelid (that is what he was paid to do, after all) but if he lost, he was regarded as a failure. It began to chip away at him after a while and before his career had really begun, he was questioning his motivation and ambition.
“I felt like I've been doing a lot of soul-searching and talking with my team and everything,” he said.
“Everything kind of came so quick to me. All of a sudden I was in the spotlight. Now, every week if I lose, Denis is disappointing.
“I came to the realisation, yeah, that's what I grew up wanting to do. I want to be a star. I want to be one of the Rogers or Rafas so that young kids and players, they look up to me, hopefully pick up racquets. Especially in Canada.”
It is a very grown-up approach to life for one so young, but tennis is his whole world. His mother, Tessa, taught him how to play when he was five and decided to go it alone, away from Tennis Canada, and allow little Denis to develop his own style. She is still very much involved in his career now – even if having your mum tell you what to do when you are 19 ensures you get teased right royally by your peers.
The latest addition to Team Shapo is Rob Steckley, once the coach to Lucie Safarova. An unusual character, Steckley not only hones Denis’s talents, he also gets him noticed on social media – Steckley is clearly a frustrated film director and he loves to make videos. Some of his work with Safarova was hilarious, and he has kicked on with Denis. These are no ordinary coaching vids about forehands and backhands.
So, with his new grown-up hair cut (unfortunately, the short back and sides makes him look 10 years younger), his new coach and a new appreciation for his position in the tennis world, Denis is ready to make his move.