Denis Shapovalov facts for kids
_(52144052686).jpg)
Shapovalov at the 2022 French Open
|
|
| Full name | Denis Viktorovich Shapovalov |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  Canada |
| Residence | Nassau, Bahamas |
| Born | April 15, 1999 Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Turned pro | 2017 |
| Plays | Left-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Coach | Janko Tipsarević |
| Prize money | US $12,235,848 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 209–175 (54.43% in ATP Tour and Grand Slam main draw matches, and in Davis Cup) |
| Career titles | 2 |
| Highest ranking | No. 10 (September 21, 2020) |
| Current ranking | No. 58 (January 6, 2025) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | QF (2022) |
| French Open | 3R (2023, 2024) |
| Wimbledon | SF (2021) |
| US Open | QF (2020) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 60–57 (51.28% in ATP Tour and Grand Slam main draw matches, and in Davis Cup) |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 44 (February 24, 2020) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (2021) |
| French Open | 1R (2020) |
| US Open | QF (2020) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | W (2022) Record: 13–9 (59.09%) |
Denis Viktorovich Shapovalov (born April 15, 1999) is a Canadian professional tennis player. He is known for his exciting, aggressive style of play. Denis has reached a high ranking of world No. 10 in singles. He first achieved this in September 2020.
Shapovalov has won two singles titles on the ATP Tour. His best performance at a major tournament, called a Grand Slam, was reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon in 2021. He has also been ranked as high as world No. 44 in doubles.
Denis is one of the highest-ranked Canadian male singles players ever. Only Milos Raonic and Félix Auger-Aliassime have ranked higher. As a junior player, he was ranked No. 2 in the world. He won two junior Grand Slam titles: a doubles title at the 2015 US Open and a singles title at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships.
In 2017, Denis became a professional player. He quickly broke into the top 100. He was the youngest player ever to reach the semifinals of an ATP Masters 1000 tournament. This happened at the 2017 Canadian Open. His exciting play earned him the ATP Most Improved Player and ATP Star of Tomorrow awards in 2017. He also won the Lionel Conacher Award as Canada's best male athlete that year.
Early Life and Tennis Start
Denis Viktorovich Shapovalov was born in Tel Aviv, Israel. His mother, Tessa Shapovalova, was a tennis player in Israel and for the USSR national team. She moved from the USSR to Tel Aviv with Denis' father, Viktor Shapovalov.
The family moved from Israel to Canada before Denis' first birthday. They settled in Vaughan, Ontario. Denis started playing tennis at age 5 at the Richmond Hill Country Club. His mother became a coach there. He loved the game right away.
When it was hard to get enough court time, his mother opened her own tennis academy. It was called TessaTennis. This helped Denis train and allowed his mother to teach other young players. Denis went to Stephen Lewis Secondary School in Vaughan. People often call him "Shapo" or "Deni".
Junior Tennis Career
When Denis was 13, his mother needed help with his training. They hired Adriano Fuorivia as his coach. Adriano traveled with Denis while his parents ran the academy. This partnership lasted four years. During this time, Denis won many junior and professional titles.
In 2015, Denis won the US Open Junior Doubles title with Félix Auger-Aliassime. In 2016, he won the Wimbledon Junior Singles title. He became the third Canadian to win a junior Grand Slam singles title. He also helped Canada win its first Junior Davis Cup title in 2015.
Professional Tennis Journey
Early Professional Years (2015–2016)
In late 2015, Denis won his first professional doubles title in Florida. In early 2016, he won his first professional singles title. He continued to win more titles that year.
In July 2016, Denis played in his first main ATP tournament in Washington. He then got a wildcard to play in the 2016 Rogers Cup. There, he surprised everyone by beating world No. 19 Nick Kyrgios. This was his first win at a major tour event.
Breakthrough and Top 50 (2017)
.jpg)
In 2017, Denis played for the Canada Davis Cup team. He had a tough moment when he accidentally hit the umpire with a ball, leading to a disqualification. But he learned from it.
He won his first ATP Challenger title in March. At Wimbledon in July, he made his Grand Slam debut. His big moment came at the 2017 Rogers Cup. He beat world No. 2 Rafael Nadal, which was his first win against a top 10 player. He reached the semifinals, becoming the youngest player ever to do so at a Masters 1000 event.
At the US Open, Denis qualified for the main draw. He beat No. 8 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. He reached the fourth round, becoming the youngest player to do so since 1989. After this, his ranking jumped to world No. 51.
Climbing to the Top 30 (2018)
_(cropped).jpg)
Denis started 2018 by reaching the semifinals at the 2018 Delray Beach Open. He also had good runs at Indian Wells and the 2018 Miami Open.
On clay courts, he reached the semifinals at the Madrid Open. This was his first time winning matches on clay. He became the youngest player in the ATP Top 30 since 2005. He also became Canada's top singles player. At the US Open, he reached the third round.
First ATP Title and Masters Final (2019)
_(49308097027).jpg)
In 2019, Denis continued to improve. He reached the semifinals of the Miami Open, beating top players like Stefanos Tsitsipas. This pushed him into the Top 20 for the first time.
On October 20, 2019, Denis won his first ATP title at the Stockholm Open. He then reached his first Masters 1000 final at the Paris Masters. He finished the year ranked No. 15.
Denis and Vasek Pospisil led Canada to its first-ever Davis Cup final. They beat strong teams like Russia and the United States.
Grand Slam Quarter-final and Top 10 (2020)
Denis started 2020 well at the ATP Cup. He beat top players like Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev. Canada reached the quarter-finals.
At the US Open, Denis reached his first major quarter-final. He became the first Canadian man to do so in the Open Era. He had a very close five-set match in the quarter-finals.
After the US Open, Denis reached the semifinals of the Italian Open. This success helped him enter the top 10 in the ATP singles rankings for the first time. He reached a career-high of No. 10.
First Grand Slam Semifinal (2021)
.jpg)
In 2021, Denis reached his first clay-court final at the Geneva Open. He then had a fantastic run at Wimbledon. He beat Andy Murray and Roberto Bautista Agut. He then won a five-set match against Karen Khachanov to reach his first major semifinal. There, he played against the defending champion Novak Djokovic in a very close match. His great performance at Wimbledon brought him back into the top 10 rankings.
ATP & Davis Cups Champion (2022)
In 2022, Denis helped Canada win its first-ever ATP Cup title. He and Félix Auger-Aliassime won their singles matches in the final against Spain.
At the Australian Open, Denis reached his first quarter-final there. He upset the third seed, Alexander Zverev. He then had another five-set battle against Rafael Nadal.
Later in 2022, Denis reached the final of the Korea Open and the 2022 Erste Bank Open. Most importantly, he teamed up with Félix Auger-Aliassime and Vasek Pospisil to win Canada's first Davis Cup Finals title.
Recent Seasons (2023–2024)
In 2023, Denis reached the third round of the Australian Open and the French Open. He made it to the fourth round of Wimbledon, playing with a knee injury.
In 2024, he received wildcards for tournaments like the Citi DC Open and the 2024 National Bank Open. He returned to the top 100 rankings after a good run in Shanghai. Denis won his second ATP Tour title at the 2024 Belgrade Open, five years after his first.
Playing Style
Denis is a left-handed player who uses a single-handed backhand. He is known for his bold and risky shots. His leaping backhand is one of his most famous moves. Coaches have compared his backhand to Stan Wawrinka's, noting its power from his flexibility and racquet speed.
His overall game is described as "explosive." He has a powerful forehand to go with his strong backhand. Denis also often uses a serve-and-volley tactic. This means he serves and then quickly runs to the net to finish the point. This works well on faster courts. His serve is also very strong.
Because he plays so aggressively, Denis makes many winning shots, but also some mistakes. He has worked with his coaches to control his shots better. But he says he enjoys playing aggressively the most. He feels best on court when his game flows freely.
Coaching Team
Denis has been coached by his mother, Tessa Shapovalova, since he was young. She taught him his one-handed backhand and how to play well at the net. Over the years, he has also worked with other coaches. These include Martin Laurendeau, Rob Steckley, and his junior coach Adriano Fuorivia.
In 2019, former world No. 8 Mikhail Youzhny joined his team. Youzhny helped Denis improve his backhand slice. Later, Jamie Delgado and Peter Polansky also joined his coaching team.
Endorsements
Denis Shapovalov is supported by several big brands. Since 2020, he has been represented by IMG. Nike provides his clothes and shoes. He was even a main face for Nike's 2018 US Open collection.
Yonex has given him tennis rackets since 2017. He uses the Yonex VCore 95 racket. He has also been sponsored by BioSteel Sports Nutrition since 2016. Since 2017, he has been a brand ambassador for TAG Heuer, a watch company.
Personal Life
Denis has been in a relationship with Swedish tennis player Mirjam Björklund since 2019. They got engaged in July 2023. Denis speaks Russian fluently. He holds Canadian citizenship and lives in Nassau, Bahamas.
Music Interests
Denis has a passion for music, especially rap. In 2019, he surprised fans by rapping a short song at a tournament. This moment inspired him to explore music more. During the 2020 tennis break, he started writing and recording his own songs. He even built a studio at home.
He says artists like G-Eazy, Drake, and Eminem have influenced his style. He describes his music as a mix of Eminem's aggressive style and G-Eazy's smooth voice.
In August 2020, Denis released his first rap song, "Night Train," under the name "Shapo." The song talks about his journey as an athlete. The next month, he released his second song, "Drip." This song is in French and English and shares similar themes about working hard to achieve his tennis dreams.
Career Statistics
Grand Slam Tournament Performance
Here's how Denis Shapovalov has performed in singles at the biggest tennis tournaments, the Grand Slams:
Singles
Current through the 2025 Australian Open.
| Tournament | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | SR | W–L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | 2R | 3R | 1R | 3R | QF | 3R | 1R | 2R | 0 / 8 | 12–8 | 60% |
| French Open | Q1 | 2R | 1R | 2R | A | 1R | 3R | 3R | 0 / 6 | 6–6 | 50% | |
| Wimbledon | 1R | 2R | 1R | NH | SF | 2R | 4R | 3R | 0 / 7 | 11–7 | 61% | |
| US Open | 4R | 3R | 3R | QF | 3R | 3R | A | 1R | 0 / 7 | 15–7 | 68% | |
| Win–loss | 3–2 | 5–4 | 4–4 | 5–3 | 8–3 | 7–4 | 7–3 | 4–4 | 1–1 | 0 / 28 | 44–28 | 61% |
Doubles
Here's how Denis Shapovalov has performed in doubles at the Grand Slams:
| Tournament | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | SR | W–L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | A | 2R | A | A | A | 0 / 1 | 1–1 | 50% | |
| French Open | A | 1R | A | A | A | A | 0 / 1 | 0–1 | 0% | |
| Wimbledon | A | NH | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |
| US Open | 3R | QF | A | A | A | 1R | 0 / 3 | 3–3 | 50% | |
| Win–loss | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0 / 5 | 4–5 | 44% |
Important Finals
Masters 1000 Tournaments
Denis has reached one final at an ATP Masters 1000 tournament:
Singles: 1 (1 runner-up)
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 2019 | Paris Masters, France | Hard (i) |  Novak Djokovic |
3–6, 4–6 |
Awards and Honors
- 2017 – ATP Star of Tomorrow (for young, rising players)
- 2017 – ATP Most Improved Player (for showing the most improvement)
- 2017 – Tennis Canada Male Player of the Year
- 2017 – Lionel Conacher Award (Canada's male athlete of the year)
Images for kids
-
Shapovalov at the 2017 Queen's Club Championships
-
Shapovalov at the 2018 US Open
-
Shapovalov at the 2019 Paris Masters
-
Shapovalov at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships
See also
In Spanish: Denis Shapovalov para niños
