Shapovalov once again excites

Denis Shapovalov is one of those players who, just by watching him for five minutes on the court, will leave you stunned. With his way of hitting and moving, it's impossible not to like him, not to be attracted by him, not to identify that pure talent that shines through almost any circumstance. The problem is that in high-level competition sports, if you want to be in the elite, you need much more than that. Perhaps we have the Canadian a bit lost in the rankings and missing in the Grand Slams. Fortunately, this week, luck was on Denis's side at the Los Cabos ATP 250, where he swept aside all opponents from start to finish, including Aleksandar Kovacevic who was left without resources to stop him in the final.

“We have been working hard in recent years, but I confess that it has not been easy to return after the injury. Now I see that all that work we did is finally starting to pay off on the court. I want to congratulate Aleksandar because he also had an incredible week. I couldn't watch his match yesterday against Rublev, but my coach told me it was crazy, so congratulations for real. I think he's an incredible tennis player, I love his game. In the end, players who opt for the one-handed backhand have to stick together. I really love watching him play,” Denis expressed at the trophy ceremony as he lifted his fourth career title.

Looking at the scores of his four matches played in Mexican soil, it is evident that Shapovalov did not come to Los Cabos for a vacation, even though the place invites relaxation. He gave away three games in his debut against Govind Nanda, lost five against Tristan Schoolkate, only conceded four to Adam Walton, and in the battle for the cup, allowed Aleksandar Kovacevic to win six. Okay, I know what you're going to say: none of the four opponents were within the top 70 in the world. It's clear that it wasn't the toughest field he had to face, but let me ask you this: how many times have we seen Denis lose to a lower-ranked opponent? Being the type of player he is, capable of the best and the worst, I give him a lot of credit for being able to emerge as champion after dropping only 18 games in four matches.

THREE TITLES IN NINE MONTHS

Looking at the Canadian's record, his four individual trophies may not stand out much, but what is truly remarkable is that three of those titles have come in the last nine months: Belgrade (November), Dallas (February), and Los Cabos (July). Only two male players on the circuit can boast of winning three trophies or more in that same period: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Denis is far from dining at that table, but it's also not bad to see him alongside them in the statistics. Especially him, who had garnered some fame as a poor final player, losing five of the first six he contested. It seems that this record is starting to mature and improve, all thanks to the maturity and personal development of the player over time.

What he still needs to convince us of is the most important aspect of all: consistency. With a 19-14 record in the current season, it's not normal for his ranking's health to depend solely on those two weeks where he ended up lifting the trophy. In Grand Slams, he has barely managed to collect two wins out of the three events played. In Masters 1000, the balance is not much better: three wins in five tournaments competed. Despite showing clear signs of vertigo whenever he has to play at the top level, the 26-year-old manages to stay within the top thirty in the world, even aspiring to be seeded in certain events. Now, as one of his favorite stretches of the season approaches (Canada, Cincinnati, US Open), let's hope to see him settle that unfinished business he has with the flagship tournaments. Hopefully, Los Cabos was just the beginning of an unforgettable summer.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Shapovalov vuelve a ilusionar