‘Confident’ Denis Shapovalov ‘looking forward’ to Jannik Sinner clash, aims to continue winning record
Denis Shapovalov says that his ‘confidence is very high’ after reaching the third round of the US Open, and is ‘looking forward’ to facing off against world No 1 Jannik Sinner.
The Canadian defeated Valentin Royer 7-6(6), 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-3 to make his first last 32 in New York for three years.
In the next round, Shapovalov will meet Italian Jannik Sinner – who lifted the US Open title 12 months ago.
“I would say my confidence is very high. I would say it’s different than when I was young and the confidence would be high, but it would be pretty fragile,” Shapovalov analysed, after his second-round victory.
“I think now — and you can see with my results — that the confidence is there.
“Even if I have a bad few weeks or unlucky draws or a couple of tough matches, I’m able to bring it back and play at a high level when the next week comes.
“I think that’s why I have been able to win three titles in less than 12 months, and that’s why I’ve been able to have so many great weeks recently.
“I definitely think that the confidence is there. I’m playing great tennis.”
The pair have only met on one occasion, with Shapovalov prevailing 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in the first round of the 2021 Australian Open.
Since then, fortune has favoured the Italian, going on to collect four Grand Slams and reaching the world No 1 spot – among other accolades.
Meanwhile, the Canadian’s best Grand Slam result was a semi-final appearance at the 2021 edition of Wimbledon (losing in straight sets to Novak Djokovic).
“[I’m] definitely looking forward to another matchup with him. These are the types of matches that I kind of live for,” Shapovalov stated.
“I enjoy playing [them], so I’m looking forward to it.
“He’s got a lot of strengths, being the player that he is. He doesn’t have many weaknesses, he’s solid from everywhere. I’m going to have to dictate and try to play my game and go for my strokes.
“He’s not going to give too much away for me in the match. I just have to take what I can with him, take my opportunities as well when I get them, and try to stay aggressive and not let him dictate too much.”
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Shapovalov has struggled for form since last reaching the third round at the US Open, suffering knee pain just a few months later in the Asian swing.
That issue later caused him to prematurely shut down his 2023 season, before undergoing stem-cell treatments.
2025 has marked a return to more consistent form, winning two titles for the first time in his career.
In February, Shapovalov lifted the biggest title of his career at the ATP 500 event in Dallas (defeating Casper Ruud), also winning the title at the ATP 250 in Los Cabos (defeating Aleksandar Kovacevic).
“I think I’m very grateful for going through what I did with my knee. It was definitely the toughest challenge I’ve ever had, not knowing if I would ever be back on court pain-free,” the Canadian recalled.
“There were a lot of doubtful days and tough moments. It was a long road to get back.
“Even when I started back up, there were a lot of difficult matches, I wasn’t getting the wins, and I was up in the matches or the pain would come back in the knee.
“So it was a really, really tough road, but I’m very grateful for my team and the close ones around me, because they kind of kept me going forward and kept reassuring me that the results and everything will come.”
