Denis Shapovalov launched his 2025 season. The Canadian, who was weakened by a virus in recent days and who lost at the start in Hong Kong against Kei Nishikori, won his first match of the year.
During the Adelaide tournament, the 58th player in the world put in a great performance to beat Zhang Zhizhen (6-3, 6-4) in just over an hour.
In an exclusive interview given to the official ATP website, the former Wimbledon semi-finalist returned to the start of his collaboration with his new coach Janko Tipsarevic.
“We felt, me and my team, that we needed someone. We looked for a long time for that rare gem, someone we thought could help me get back to the highest level.
I think it’s super important to have a person like Janko, who knows what I’ve been through and what I might be feeling.
With him, I can really talk about certain things that others couldn’t understand,” says the Canadian.
“I think our collaboration will bear fruit. You can’t teach experience. You absolutely must have it.
And Janko had that experience as a player. He experienced a lot of things. He had a great, long career, with many great matches.
He understands what I might be feeling. Just knowing that my coach knows how I feel at certain times and can really help me, it gives me confidence.
I was a big fan of his acting. I always thought he was very enjoyable to watch.
He showed a lot of resilience and he put in a lot of effort, so it was interesting to see him play. To be honest, I didn’t know much about him.
We started talking late last year. We worked together in Basel, just to try to understand each other.
I would like to say that we understood each other instantly. We have the same beliefs, both on and off the court. It’s a good start to our collaboration,” he concluded.
