Denis Shapovalov, one of the most colorful players in the sport currently, is slowly but steadily regaining his form on the ATP Tour. The former World No.10 is closing out the season with deep runs in back-to-back tournaments. Shapovalov has now made it to his first final in two years, and he has done so in style.
There was little expectation from the World No. 78 entering the 2024 Belgrade Open. He had to go through the qualifying round to compete in the main event. The 25-year-old, who started his tournament last Saturday, did not let it dampen his spirits and went on to win both the qualifiers. He carried that momentum to the main draw.
Shapovalov was just too good in the quarterfinals against Christopher O’Connell of Australia, registering a straight sets victory. And he continued that run on Friday in the semifinals against 4th seed Jiri Lehecka, winning 6-2, 6-1. He last got to this stage at the Vienna Open in 2022.
Last Four Bound
Denis Shapovalov reaches his first semi-final since 2022 after taking out O’Connell 6-2 6-2 #BelgradeOpen pic.twitter.com/IKfXJfce6J
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 7, 2024
Though he was not setting the world on fire, the southpaw was still performing at his best back then. In the Vienna semi-final, Shapovalov beat Borna Coric of Croatia in straight sets. Although the Canadian could not get past Daniil Medvedev in the final, it was a memorable tournament for him.
Shapovalov’s fans haven’t seen him play in that fashion for a while and this run at the Belgrade Open is a huge relief for a player who has made the headlines for a lot of wrong reasons.
Shapovalov’s fall from grace
Shapovalov’s career has been on a downward trend since the start of the 2023 season. He suffered some shocking early exits and watched his ranking significantly drop. The situation became worse after his season ended in October due to a knee injury.
He returned to action in Auckland at the beginning of this year but struggled for form and suffered a number of early withdrawals.
At the Washington Open 2024, Shapovalov was controversially defaulted and fined $36,400 after having a verbal altercation with a fan and throwing his racket in a fit of anger after loudly abusing on court.
After that, he was active on X in voicing out his displeasure at Jannik Sinner being let off by the ITIA in relation to his doping allegations. Shapovalov also commented in favor of tennis players not being paid well because of the costs they have to bear by themselves.
Shapovalov is not the favorite among fans for being opinionated and expressive even on court, considering his ranking. However, he has shown a lot of mental strength in recent times.
Since Shapovalov had to play two qualifiers, his Belgrade tournament began earlier than others. In addition to the pressure of playing a final, fatigue is another challenge he must overcome on Sunday. However, the 25-year-old will be determined to conquer all the obstacles and win his first title in five years.
