After enduring a really tough year in 2023, Denis Shapovalov is set to return in 2024, and he's willing to play in the qualifiers at the 2024 ASB Classic in Auckland.
Shapovalov managed to play less than 30 matches this year due to various injuries. He missed much of the second part of the year, which impacted his ranking so much that he'll need to play the qualifiers for the ASB Classic in Auckland if he wants to play.
The Canadian doesn't really mind that as much as has been confirmed to Stuff.co.nz by Auckland tournament director Nicolas Lamperin. The Canadian is actually out of the qualifiers right now but could get in with a few withdrawals.
Denis has entered qualifying, he’s not on the list yet, he’s six out. We have committed to help Alex Michelsen first, because he’s two outside of qualifying. So if he gets in, we’ll help Denis.
It's a tricky situation for Shapovalov as his ranking dropped so much that he can't really enter these early saturated events because the whole Tour is basically trying to get in.
On another note, he's also desperate for some matches before the Australian Open because he hasn't played in a long time, so entering the event without playing any matches is not really ideal, so he'd like to avoid that.
Lamperin further explained that many things could change in the coming week because some players are playing in Hong Kong the previous week, so some of them might pull out, making the Canadian's way into the draw easier.
Either way, he's going to be playing in the qualifiers if he qualifies, which isn't that terrible. He'll need some easier matches to get started, and the qualifiers are perfect for that. Stay tuned for his much-awaited return to tennis.
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