The Canadian tennis player Denis Shapovalov He appeared before the media at a press conference to analyze his feelings after qualifying for the semifinals of the ATP 500 Dubai 2021, defeating Jeremy Chardy in two hard sets. He also spoke of the continuous losses that tournaments are suffering with top players.
Denis Shapovalov did not have an easy game in the quarterfinals of the ATP 500 Dubai. With much suffering, the Canadian managed to advance to the next round: “It was a very difficult game. I knew that Jeremy had come from playing at a good level. I was very clear that I had to throw my best tennis if I wanted to achieve victory. happy to have taken advantage of the break balls that I had in my favor and to have won all my matches in straight sets. It was important to get to the final rounds without wearing out too much. “
One of the facets in which Shapovalov seems to have improved at the start of the season is being his serve: “I have concentrated a lot on my serve in these last two weeks. I have worked a lot together with Youzhny to be able to improve it a little. I have tried. different types of serves to have more variation. I hope I can continue with this good level. In addition to my serve, I have worked on my footwork and my positioning during exchanges. “
Every day we are getting to know the name of tennis players who decide not to play some tournaments. The Miami Masters 1000 have been left without the participation of players such as Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem or Roger Federer, something that Shapovalov analyzes: “From my point of view, I think that the players will withdraw from many tournaments when they see that the prize money of tournaments is low. It is not motivating at all to play every week and participate in ATP 500 or Masters 1000 tournaments. So far, only the Grand Slams are keeping the prize money. It is complicated what we tennis players are experiencing, but it is the ATP who has to do something to change this. Many players are forced to play certain tournaments by our sponsors. If there were no clauses of this type, many top players would play even fewer tournaments. I feel that other sports have been able to find solutions during this pandemic and they have been able to keep the prize money and their salaries. I feel that the ATP should better solve these problems. “
He does not want to relive what happened in Australia
Finally, Denis Shapovalov spoke again that he does not plan to play many tournaments in 2021: “I already said it a few days ago and again I am speaking again. I am playing tennis because I enjoy playing great tournaments. I went to Doha and Dubai this year because they are new tournaments for me. I am trying not to play a lot, staying out of the bubbles imposed by certain tournaments. Mentally it is horrible to be able to endure those conditions. I think I am going to play tournaments that I have to play by contract and some greats like Masters 1000 and Grand Slams. My goal is none other than to continue to improve in tennis and climb the leaderboard. There are tennis players who have won many Grand Slams, many Masters 1000 and have no reason to play every tournament on the calendar. “
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