On Saturday, Denis Shapovalov will seek his second ATP title at the Belgrade Open. The 25-year-old Canadian passed the qualifying stage and defeated four rivals in the main draw, booking a place in his seventh ATP final, the first since Vienna two years ago.
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Denis announces new coach
Alongside his excellent performance in the Serbian capital, Denis announced a change in his coaching staff for 2025, adding the former world no. 8 Janko Tipsarevic to his team. Shapovalov is seeking improvements in his game after a couple of poor seasons, standing outside the top-70 for a year and playing way below the level that made him a top-10 player. Speaking about Janko in Belgrade, Denis admired his game and skills. They did a trial week in Basel in October and clicked, with Shapovalov already learning from the experienced Serb. Shapovalov and Tipsarevic will work in Dubai during the off-season and seek the fruits of their collaboration at the beginning of 2025.
Shapovalov's topsy-turvy 2024
Denis started the 2024 season outside the top-100 after ending the previous season at Wimbledon. The Canadian could not improve his position on the ATP ranking list until October, hitting the zone in the closing stages of the year and seeking an ATP title this week. Shapovalov came to Belgrade with a mediocre 21-22 score, winning back-to-back matches only in Miami, Madrid, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, Washington and Basel. His only quarter-finals came in Washington, where he got defaulted, and Basel, losing a thrilling clash against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. Denis is enjoying his best week of the season in Belgrade, seeking his first ATP title in five years and hoping for more good matches at the upcoming Davis Cup Finals. The Canadian cracked the top-10 in 2020 at 21, steering toward the top. However, the results have been missing since then, and Shapovalov hopes to change that in 2025. If he wins the title in Belgrade, the Canadian will wrap up the season in the top-60.
"Janko and I did a trial week in Basel. We will do the off-season in Dubai and see how everything develops. He was an incredible player; I respect him a lot. He is a smart man, and he already gave me some good tips. It's still early to say more, but I hope we can develop an excellent collaboration," Denis Shapovalov said.
