Shapovalov Reveals Reason Why He Could Not Play At 'Fullest' At Hong Kong Open
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Denis Shapovalov was far below his best against Kei Nishikori at the 2025 Hong Kong Open and he explained why afterward.
2024 was a challenging year for Shapovalov. He missed all tournaments after Wimbledon due to a severe knee injury before returning to ATP action at the ASB Classic in New Zealand at the beginning of last year.
After returning, Shapovalov struggled by his standards. Although there were flashes of good tennis in most of his matches, the Canadian lost many tight battles and did not seem to have the self-belief to close them out.
A few weeks after Wimbledon, he found some form at the Citi Open in Washington, but a highly controversial incident in the quarterfinals of the Citi Open stopped that progress in its tracks and left Shapovalov absolutely furious.
During the second-set tiebreak against Ben Shelton, Shapovalov lost a point, leaving himself on the brink of defeat. A member of the crowd in Washington then made a mocking remark to him, which he immediately responded to.
The umpire called the supervisor to the court, and they both decided to disqualify Shapovalov. He was left stunned and angry. Shelton also protested the move and spoke up for his opponent, but it was to no avail.
A few months ago, Shapovalov admitted that the incident still angers him. This is especially true since the ATP later ruled that he was allowed to keep his prize money and ranking points from the Citi Open but did not apologize. That made no sense to the 25-year-old.
The Canadian's level dropped again in his next few tournaments and it seemed like his season would peter out. However, Shapovalov unexpectedly produced a stunning run at the Serbia Open in Belgrade to save his year.
Shapovalov secured a second ATP title after beating Constant Lestienne and Hugo Grenier in the qualifying and then overcoming Marton Fucsovics, Nuno Borges, Christopher O'Connell, Jiri Lehecka, and Hamad Medjedovic.
That was Shapovalov's final tournament of 2024. His first professional appearance since that moment came in the opening round of the Hong Kong Open, where he faced Kei Nishikori.
Although former US Open runner-up Nishikori played well, Shapovalov was nowhere near the level seen in Belgrade and struggled severely throughout. The Japanese player comfortably overcame him 6-2, 6-3.
Shapovalov revealed in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that he had been suffering from an illness before the Hong Kong Open, which prevented him from being able to compete at 100% during the contest.
"Thanks for the warm welcome Hong Kong. It was great to start my season with the amazing fans here Unfortunately I have been struggling with a virus & disappointed I couldn’t play at my fullest, but I did my best to be out there. I hope to come back to @Hkto_mens next year."
Nishikori responded to the post in heartwarming fashion by wishing Shapovalov well. The former world No. 10's reply to Nishikori was similarly classy.
Nishikori: "Get well Denis. Hope you feel better soon. See you in Melbourne."
Shapovalov: "Thanks brother 🙏🏻 good luck the rest of the way."
