Denis Shapovalov has a date with history: he could become only the third representative of Canada to reach the singles final at the prestigious Wimbledon tournament by winning his match scheduled for Friday.
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For the occasion, “Shapo” will face world number 1 Novak Djokovic, who already has five career titles at Wimbledon.
“Denis has been successful on a constant basis over the past two years,” Djokovic noted Wednesday at a press briefing, far from taking his next clash lightly. People expect him to break through the top 10 and even the top 5. He’s a new generation. “
Only 22 years old, however, Shapovalov would not become the youngest Canadian athlete to find himself in the final at Wimbledon with Djokovic. Quebecer Eugenie Bouchard was actually 20 when she achieved the feat in 2014. She lost the final match in two sets of 6-3 and 6-0 against the Czech Petra Kvitova, not without having previously dismissed the German Angelique Kerber and Romanian Simona Halep on the way.
On the other hand, on the men’s side, Shapovalov could be the youngest player from Canada to reach the final at the All England Club. The only representative of the maple leaf to have reached this stage, Milos Raonic was 25, in July 2016, when he was defeated by Briton Andy Murray in the final at Wimbledon. During the semi-final, remember that Raonic also faced a huge challenge by disposing of Roger Federer.
In tournament history, Boris Becker was the youngest man to win the Wimbledon tournament at age 17 in 1985. Martina Hingis was only 16 when she achieved the feat in women’s singles.
A first for Shapovalov
Against Djokovic, “Shapo” will be in his first semi-final in a Grand Slam tournament. Holder of the 12th world rank in the ATP rankings, the Canadian should enter the top 10 at the end of the competition, even if he lost in the semi-finals. Shapovalov has already climbed to the 10th echelon, in September 2020, after reaching the four-quarter of the Masters 1000 in Rome.
Recall that Shapovalov lost his six career games against Djokovic on the professional circuit. Their last duel took place at the ATP Cup in Melbourne in January. The Serb had won in two identical 7-5 sets.
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