Although he competes under the Canadian flag, Denis Shapovalov was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, on April 15, 1991. His parents, Viktor and Tess, emigrated from Russia to Israel before moving to Canada when Denis was nine months old. Shapovalov’s mother is a former professional tennis player, and she started working as a coach at the local tennis club, Richmond Hill Country Club, after the family moved to Canada.
Shapovalov started playing tennis at age five and enrolled at the club in his early years. Due to his increasing potential, Shapovalov’s mother could no longer coach Denis by the age of 13. Eventually, he needed a specialist coach to develop, and the young Shapovalov went from strength to strength at junior level.
Between 2015 and 2016, Shapovalov won the US Open junior doubles title, the singles Wimbledon title, and the Junior Davis Cup alongside compatriots Felix Auger-Aliassime and Benjamin Sigouin. During his early years, Shapovalov generally competed at ITF and Challenger-level events before he broke through in 2017.
His first Grand Slam appearance came at Wimbledon, where he received a wildcard entry but lost in the first round. One month later, the Canadian made history by becoming the youngest-ever player to reach a Masters 1000 semi-final at the Canadian Open. En route to the final four, 17-year-old Shapovalov beat Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev.
In 2018, Shapovalov showed greater consistency on the ATP Tour and reached the second round at the first three Grand Slams of the season before making the third round at the US Open. A solid campaign lifted the Canadian into the Top 30 in 2018.
Shapovalov continued to climb the rankings in 2019 following several personal landmarks in professional tennis. He started the season with a third-round run in the Australian Open and several early season runs at the Rotterdam Open and Indian Wells.
However, Shapovalov’s strong late-season form saw him finish 15th in the ATP Rankings. In October, Shapovalov won his first ATP title, beating Filip Krajinovic at the Stockholm Open before he reached the Paris Masters final, losing to Novak Djokovic.
More deep runs came in 2020 as Shapovalov continued to cement his place near the top of the rankings. Despite a slow start with early eliminations at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, Shapovalov once again ended the season strongly, reaching the quarter-final of the US Open, and he finished the campaign ranked 12th.
A slow start to the 2021 season followed, with an early elimination from the Australian Open. But Shapovalov generated momentum on clay and grass, reaching the final of the Geneva Open and the semi-final of the Cinch Championships at the Queen's Club.
In July, Shapovalov also produced one of his strongest showings at a Grand Slam, reaching the Wimbledon semi-final before losing to Djokovic. Another slow portion of the season ensued until the Canadian reached another Stockholm Open final but lost, this time to Tommy Paul.
2022 began with a bang as Canada won their first-ever ATP Cup. Shapovalov played a key part by beating Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta in the singles final. Shapovalov then reached the Australian Open quarter-final and the 2022 Dubai Championships semi-finals.
Another dip in form followed before Shapovalov reached finals at the Korea Open and Vienna Open. During the 2023 season, Shapovalov struggled to find early-season form and suffered several early exits.
But he did produce his best-ever run at the Roland Garros (third round) and reached round four at Wimbledon despite playing with a knee injury. The Canadian brought an early end to his 2023 camping shortly after Wimbledon to recover from his knee injury.
