Denis Shapovalov keen on improving game as he targets wins over top guys
Canadian rising star Denis Shapovalov says he still needs to improve certain aspects of his game in order to stand a bigger chance of beating the top guys.
The 19-year-old has been improving his game and getting better ever since he drew attention to his name in 2017 after reaching the Montreal Masters semi-final as a wildcard and the US Open round-of-16 as a qualifier respectively.
The Canadian has yet to win an ATP title but has established as a top-50 player.
World No. 27 Shapovalov came close to winning his maiden ATP title several times this year as he was a semi-finalist at the Madrid Masters, Delray Beach and Tokyo.
Shapovalov's best wins in 2018 came against three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka, 2016 Wimbledon runner-up Milos Raonic and 2014 US Open runner-up Kei Nishikori.
However, the Canadian struggled against the top-10 players this past season he lost to world No. 2 Rafael Nadal, world No. 4 Alexander Zverev, world No. 6 Kevin Anderson, world No. 7 Marin Cilic and world No. 8 Dominic Thiem.
Shapovalov's career-best win came during his Montreal Masters semi-final run in 2017 when he beat Nadal in the round-of-16.
"Sure, against the top guys, I still have to improve certain things so I can compete with them, but I feel like I can still kind of push them. I'm able to hang in with them. [It's a] realisation that my level is there and it gave me that sense of calmness," Shapovalov exclusively told the New Zealand Herald.
Also read: Australian Open to introduce final set tie-breaks in 2019
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2QQzY5J
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