Denis Shapovalov Not Back 'To Be Mediocre Player' As He Searches For Motivation
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Denis Shapovalov doesn't want to be only a "mediocre player," as he aims to restart his tennis career after injury setbacks.
The young Canadian was once considered to be the top talent on the ATP Tour. Shapovalov was predicted to be a Top 10 regular by many analysts only a few years ago, but even though he made it to the Top 10 in his career, he didn't stay there for too long.
At the moment, the 25-year-old is ranked 58th in the world, but that's not something that would make him happy. Shapovalov has the ambition to fight for the biggest trophies, and improving to the top level is something that motivates him.
Only recently, he lifted a title at the Belgrade Open, reminding everyone that he can still win big matches and titles, but winning ATP 250 events is not something that he aims for. He wants to win bigger matches.
During his participation at the 2025 Adelaide International, where he lost in the second round to Marcos Giron, the Canadian player talked to ATPTour.com, explaining that he came back to the sport not to be an average player.
According to Shapovalov's words, trying to become successful and surpass his previous achievements is the only thing that keeps him on the tennis courts.
"It's the only thing that's kept me in the game, to be honest, trying to get back to the top level of where I was, or trying to go even further. When I stopped with my injury, I told my team, I told my family, that it's not interesting for me to be back and to be an average player."
"I've been at the top of the game. I've achieved a lot, I think, in my short career. So for me, it's either trying to push those limits and go even further, or to stop. For me to be just a mediocre player, it's not for me. It's not interesting."
Working towards that goal of becoming a top player again, Shapovalov recently added Janko Tipsarevic to his coaching team. The former Serbian ATP player has plenty of experience, as he was once ranked eighth in the world.
Tipsarevic is a two-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist and the 2010 Davis Cup champion. According to Shapovalov, he wanted someone who has the experience of playing big matches.
"I felt, and the team felt like we needed to add somebody and we've been looking for a long time to find the right fit, to find somebody that we think can fit in with the team and help get me back to the top level."
"I think it's super important to have someone like Janko, someone that knows what I'm going through, knows the experiences and the feelings that I feel, and someone that I can really discuss certain things that others might not quite understand."
"I think it is tough to understand what it feels like to play a semi-final in a Grand Slam or a big moment match, unless you've been there yourself."
