From the great Shapovalov | The Journal of Montreal

He is the third Canadian in history to reach the quarterfinals in Melbourne. The other two are Milos Ravonic (five times) and Mike Belkin (1968). In his four previous appearances, he did not go beyond the third round.

Also read: Shapovalov surprised Zverev and reached the quarterfinals

Also read: Souvenirs from Montreal for Nadal

If he wins his next game, he will equal his best result in a Grand Slam tournament. We remember reaching the semi-finals at Wimbledon last year. Novak bowed to Djokovic.

“Felix Agar-Aliassim and I are doing something special in Australia,” said Denis Shapovalov after his stunning victory over Zverev. We hope that most people in Canada will have the opportunity to watch our matches.

“It’s not so easy in Canada right now (due to the epidemic). So, I hope we can bring balm to people who have something to watch and follow.

Nadal was on his way

Shapovalov now has a big client on his way: Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard has won three of the four matches between them. This is their first fight in a Grand Slam tournament.

“I expect a lot of battle. The 14th seed of the tournament has been analyzed. In fact, he makes you hit as many balls as he can. He defends himself very well.

“He is very good at what he does. I try to play my match and impose my rhythm on him. I want to continue to use the same recipe: be patient, fight for all points and choose my moments to be aggressive.

Nadal returned to action after a long absence with a foot injury. So far, he’s well on his way to playing again.

However, can he stay with a younger, more active player like Shapovalov? This would be a good test.

Brilliant on Zverev

We should also talk about his performance on Alexander Zverev. Won the match 6-3, 7-6 (5) and 6-3.

“It’s a very solid game for me,” Shapovalov said. It seemed to me that I was dominating Sasha from the baseline during the first points, so this is a good sign for the future.

“I played smart. I did a good job of being patient and speeding up my serve games. I described myself from many angles.

Disagreement Note: His 11 double faults. This is usually enough to make up for the loss. Shapovalov found a way around this negative aspect.

“I like going to the limit. This is not always ideal. Of course I do not like to miss any shots or make double faults, but it’s part of tennis. This is a game of mistakes. “

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