Denis Shapovalov returns to his junior coach ahead of clay season
Denis Shapovalov turns 20 on Monday and he has a lot of reasons to celebrate, cracking the top-20 after another incredible run in Miami and hoping for even more significant results by the end of the season. The Candian caught the attention of the tennis world back in 2017 when he became the youngest Masters 1000 semi-finalist at home in Montreal, stunning Rafael Nadal before losing to another youngster Alexander Zverev in the battle for the final. Recently, Denis advanced into his third Masters 1000 semi-final in Miami as only the sixth teenager who did that since 1990, joining Rafael Nadal, Lleyton Hewitt, Andrei Medvedev, Andy Murray and Pete Sampras.
Also, Denis stands on 25 Masters 1000 wins as only the fourth player who managed to deliver that many triumphs at premium Masters 1000 events before turning 20, leaving the names like Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray behind him. Denis made an impressive debut at Masters 1000 series in Toronto 2016 when he defeated Nick Kyrgios at the age of 17, staying away from this level of competition until Montreal next year when he grabbed four wins to advance into the semis and improve his tally of wins.
In 2018, Shapovalov played in the fourth round in Miami and the semi-final in Madrid and the third round in Rome, collecting one victory after another and adding four more in Toronto and Cincinnati to stand on 19 despite early losses in Shanghai and Paris. The start of 2019 was rock solid for the Tel Aviv native as well, scoring six wins at Indian Wells and Miami combined to secure 25 Masters 1000 wins before turning 20, leaving Novak Djokovic on 23 and repeating what Andy Roddick did in his teenage days.
Andrei Medvedev is ahead of Denis with 27, scoring 12 in 1993 and conquering Masters 1000 titles in Monte Carlo and Hamburg the following spring to end his Masters 1000 career as a teenager with an impressive result that only Rafael Nadal managed to beat. The Canadian has decided to change the coaching staff before the clay season, parting ways with Rob Steckley and bringing back Adriano Fuorivia who had worked with him for four years during junior days, winning Wimbledon crown three years ago under his guidance.
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2UX6dBo
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