The quarterfinals of the Australian Open open with a duel that just a few weeks ago could be dismissed as unexpected. Rafael Nadal and Denis Shapovalov star in the left-handed match at Melbourne Park , where both have been advancing in the draw with opposite paths, with much more suffering in the case of the Canadian, a player blessed by his talent and by Nadal himself, who has in very good esteem to one of the cracks of the present and future of the ATP .
“He is one of the players with the most potential on the circuit. The first time we played I said that I was going to be the winner of several ‘Grand Slam’ titles and I still think so”, said Nadal at the end of his round of 16 match against Mannarino, when he was informed that his rival would be Shapovalov and not Alexander Zverev as ‘was given’ by the painting. Rafa then also stated that he was not surprised by the Canadian’s triumph. “He has a lot of amazing stuff. If he plays well it is difficult to stop. In the quarterfinals you cannot expect an easy rival and I will have to play at my highest level.
Nadal speaks highly of Shapovalov since the first confrontation between the two, which dates back to 2017 at the Canadian Masters 1000 , held in that edition in Montreal and in which the local tennis player won, at just 17 years old, a legend like Rafa. The 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 achieved by Denis was his first big step on the professional circuit, in which he has advanced to the current position of number 14 in the ATP ranking.
Shapovalov has faced Nadal on three other occasions, officially, all with victories, always fought, by the man from Manacor. The most remembered occurred in the 2019 Davis Cup final, when Rafa won 6-3, 7-6 in the decisive victory to give Spain the salad bowl. However, this background favorable to the Spanish would become a technical tie if we count his withdrawal in the semifinals of the Paris-Bercy Masters 1000 in 2019 and the recent clash of the Abu Dhabi exhibition , to which Rafa arrived short of preparation and in the that Denis took the victory.
A stone path in Australia
Shapovalov ‘s style leads him to be considered a different tennis player within the circuit. To the almost obligatory power in the new talents and aspirants to the top is added a maximum creativity, spurred on by his left-handed condition, which complicates things even more for the opponents. With a one-handed backhand and given to unlikely shots, Denis is an inspirational tennis player who has not had an easy road at the 2022 Australian Open, where he precisely reached his peak and the most affordable match against a great favorite for the title such as Alexander Zverev, whom he separated from the tournament in three sets to meet Nadal in the quarterfinals.
Previously, Shapovalov had defeated Serbian Laslo Djer e in the first round, giving up a set, and with great difficulty the Korean Kwon , in a five-set match (7-6, 6-7, 6-7, 7-5, 6). -2) and that went up to four and a half hours long. Already in the third round, the giant Opelka awaited him, whom he also wore down in four sets (7-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4) and in the second round, a Zverev who found himself with a bad version of himself and, above all, with the gale of inspiration from a Denis Shapovalov who wants to repeat his feat with the legend who holds him in the best esteem on the circuit.
