Denis Shapovalov on Jannik Sinner US Open showdown: 'These are the matches I live for'

ATP Tour

Shapovalov on Sinner US Open showdown: 'These are the matches I live for'

Canadian takes 1-0 Lexus ATP Head2Head lead into Saturday's clash in New York

Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour Denis Shapovalov leads Jannik Sinner 1-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. By Jerome Coombe

When Denis Shapovalov shut down his 2023 season with a troubling knee injury, he couldn’t be sure he’d ever play pain-free tennis again.

However, since his return last year, the Canadian has added three ATP Tour titles to his breakthrough Stockholm crown from 2019. His resurgence has undoubtedly fueled a new level of belief, and as he enters the US Open third round for a seventh time in his career, Shapovalov will need every ounce of that confidence in a clash against defending champion and World No. 1 Jannik Sinner on Saturday.

“I would say my confidence is very high. I would say it's different than when I was young and the confidence would be high, but it would be pretty fragile,” Shapovalov said after his second-round win against Valentin Royer. “I think now — and you can see with my results — that the confidence is there. Even if I have a bad few weeks or unlucky draws or a couple of tough matches, I'm able to bring it back and play at a high level when the next week comes.

“I think that's why I have been able to win three titles in less than 12 months, and that's why I've been able to have so many great weeks recently. I definitely think that the confidence is there. I'm playing great tennis.”

Even though Shapovalov won a five-set tussle in his only previous Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Sinner at the Australian Open in 2021, the 26-year-old admits that they have both changed a lot as players since then. Shapovalov has traversed a long road back from injury, while Sinner rose to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings in June last year and has not relinquished his position since.

Shapovalov acknowledges he will have to bring his A-game if he is to challenge the defending champion, who is unbeaten at the hard-court majors since 2023.

“[I’m] definitely looking forward to another matchup with him. These are the types of matches that I kind of live for,” Shapovalov said. “I enjoy playing [them], so I'm looking forward to it.

“He's got a lot of strengths, being the player that he is. He doesn't have many weaknesses, he's solid from everywhere. I'm going to have to dictate and try to play my game and go for my strokes. He's not going to give too much away for me in the match. I just have to take what I can with him, take my opportunities as well when I get them, and try to stay aggressive and not let him dictate too much.”

Denis Shapovalov defeats Jannik Sinner at the 2021 Australian Open. Photo: David Gray/Getty Images.

After his fourth-round exit at Wimbledon in 2023, Shapovalov ended his season and slipped outside the Top 100 by year’s end. The former World No. 10 did not compete for six months, and during his difficult return in 2024 fell as low as World No. 140.

Still, the Canadian — with the help of his team and family — never lost sight of his ambitions or the explosive game that he used to defeat Rafael Nadal as a teenager.

“I think I'm very grateful for going through what I did with my knee. It was definitely the toughest challenge I've ever had, not knowing if I would ever be back on court pain-free,” Shapovalov recalled. “There were a lot of doubtful days and tough moments. It was a long road to get back.

“Even when I started back up, there were a lot of difficult matches, I wasn't getting the wins, and I was up in the matches or the pain would come back in the knee. So it was a really, really tough road, but I'm very grateful for my team and the close ones around me, because they kind of kept me going forward and kept reassuring me that the results and everything will come.”

And they did. In his final tournament of the 2024 season, Shapovalov lifted his second ATP Tour trophy in Belgrade, a breakthrough that seemed to spark a new chapter. This February, Shapovalov rolled past Top 10 opponents Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul and Casper Ruud en route to the biggest title of his career at the ATP 500 in Dallas.

Shapovalov recovers from injury to win maiden ATP 500 crown:

Then, after an underwhelming clay-court season and first-round loss at Wimbledon, Shapovalov struck again on the hard courts in Los Cabos, winning his fourth tour-level title without dropping a set.

“I had to stay very, very patient last year. I only got the result I wanted the last week of the year with winning Belgrade,” Shapovalov reflected. “It was definitely worthwhile. Honestly, that title meant 100 times more to me than the first title that I won in Stockholm. It was huge for me.

“It's been a road to get back. It's never easy to climb back in the rankings. There's a lot of new, young guys coming up. Your name is not as fearful as when you're No. 10 in the world, it has a little bit more emphasis than when you're climbing back in the rankings. I've definitely had to work to [get to] where I am. I think I'm in a great spot, winning two titles this year, playing some great tennis, into the third round here. I have a shot against a guy like Jannik. It's great for me. I look forward to it.”

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