Denis Shapovalov has high hopes for his 2018.

After a fantastic 2017 that has propelled him in the top100, Denis is eager to keep on marching during the new season. Even if one week ago the Canadian had to face a tough loss in his opener in Brisbane against an extremely solid Kyle Edmund (6-7 (4) 7-6 (4) 6-4), Denis is still optimistic about the new season.

Why Shapovalov is upbeat

Ranked no.50, Denis is currently in Auckland where he had a very good start of his campaign after he dismissed Rogerio Dutra Silva 6-3 6-2. After the match, he commented

“I’ve worked hard in the off-season, and I feel like my game’s there, so I’m ready to play these tournaments.

It’s always a little bit tough at the start of the year; you don’t know where your game’s at. But I’m confident in myself, and I’m sure I’m going to play great.”

Talking about his week in Montreal last year where he defeated Del Potro, Nadal and Mannarino before losing in the semifinal to Sascha Zverev, he added

“There were so many emotions that week. I’ll never forget those feelings of beating those top players. But I’ve moved on from that now, and I’m ready to focus on this season and ready to show the world that I’ve improved.”

Deni will face Juan Martin Del Potro in the Auckland 2^nd round. This will be a nice one to watch. The head to head is 1-0 for Denis. According to according to the odds shared by many bookmakers, Del Potro is the favorite to win this match.