Denis Shapovalov Withdraws From Canada's Upcoming Davis Cup Tie
News
Team Canada's hopes of reaching the next stage of the Davis Cup qualifiers have been damaged by Denis Shapovalov's withdrawal.
Shapovalov reached the second round of the Australian Open. He defeated Roberto Bautista Agut in four sets before being eliminated by Lorenzo Musetti in the second round after a 6-7, 6-7, 2-6 loss.
Although most of the match against Musetti was close, the 25-year-old struggled and did not look comfortable for long stretches. His movement was hampered, which made his competitiveness in the first two sets even more impressive.
After losing the second set, Shapovalov took an off-court medical timeout for a back issue. His level declined after that move, but he bravely completed the match despite visibly struggling in the third set.
The 2021 Wimbledon semifinalist was set to lead his team on home soil in Montreal against Hungary. Shapovalov has now confirmed that will no longer be the case because he is still recovering from that back issue.
"Really disappointed to withdraw from the Davis Cup tie this weekend and I'll miss playing in front of the home crowd, but I’m still struggling with some back pain and need to continue rehabbing. Good luck to the team this weekend."
Shapovalov's injury history makes his caution understandable. He missed all the tournaments after Wimbledon in 2023 with a severe knee injury that took him a long time to recover from before returning at the start of 2024.
The Canadian struggled to regain his confidence for most of the 2024 season, as demonstrated by his repeated losses in tight matches in the year's opening months.
Shapovalov was also the center of one of the most controversial moments of 2024. After losing a point to Ben Shelton in the second set tiebreak at the Citi Open, a spectator in Washington shouted an insult of some kind in his direction.
That led to Shapovalov instinctively shouting back in the fan's direction. The umpire and match referee discussed the incident and disqualified him from the match despite Shelton's request that they not do so.
After a review of the incident, Shapovalov's prize money and ranking points from the tournament were reinstated. The left-handed star remained bitter that the ATP did not admit disqualifying him was a mistake after reinstating the money and points from the event.
It seemed like Shapovalov's season might peter out after his form dipped again in the months following that incident. However, he finished 2024 with an outstanding run to the Serbia Open title in Belgrade as a qualifier.
That moment was a reward for Shapovalov's resilience after a challenging year. He undoubtedly hoped to hit the ground running in 2025 after reminding the tennis world of how good his best tennis is in Belgrade.
Instead, Shapovalov struggled against Kei Nishikori in the opening match of the new season at the Hong Kong Open. The former world No. 10 later said a virus hampered him in that match.
Shapovalov sustained a back injury at the Australian Open a few weeks later, completing a tough opening month for him. Hopefully, he will return to the courts soon.
