Tennis is a sport so competitive that only a few players get to shine and rise to the top at any one time.
A flawless game with minimal injuries is required to knock out your opponents and climb up the ranks. One of the lucky ones to break through in recent years is Russian-Canadian newcomer Denis Shapovalov.
The 20-year-old’s career highlights include becoming the youngest player to enter the ATP Top 30 since 2005 and earning the 2017 ATP Star of Tomorrow honor.
Here is more about the rising star shaking things up on the tennis court.
Dennis Shapovalov acquired much of his top-notch tennis skills from his mother Tessa while training at her junior academy.
Tennis is a family affair for Shapovalov and he owes much of the credit for his success to his mother Tessa. A former star on the Russian national team, Tessa brought her son into the game at age five and still serves as his coach 15 years later.
Tessa established her career in tennis while living under the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, she never had the opportunity to make a name for herself on a global scale.
The family, including Denis's father Viktor and brother Evgeniy, moved from Tel Aviv, Israel to Ontario, Canada, a few months shy of Denis’s first birthday. Tessa later opened up her namesake junior academy ‘Tessa Tennis,’ where Denis was able to hone his skills.
He told the Telegraph that it still remains his favorite place to practice: ‘You can’t tell what it is from the outside. It’s just an industrial building.
‘But when you walk inside, it has two courts, concrete walls. I feel like I’ve always played well there. I love to go back there and hit all the time.’
Denis Shapovalov of Canada celebrates defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France during their second round Men's Second match on Day Three of the 2017 US Open.
Shapovalov began taking the sport more seriously during his teenage years and that’s when his mother assigned help. The family brought Adriano Fuorivia aboard, a former manager of tennis development for Tennis Canada, to be Shapovalov’s personal coach.
They would train and travel together for four years. During his tenure, Shapovalov claimed several victories including the 2015 US Open Junior Doubles title and the 2016 Wimbledon Junior Singles title. He claimed his first professional doubles title at the ITF Futures in Pensacola, Florida, in November 2015.
Denis Shapovalov of Canada plays a backhand during his First Round Singles Match against Juan Martin
