Denis Shapovalov and Team Canada got extremely close to winning the Davis Cup last November before being stopped by Rafael Nadal & C. After just a couple of months, we have a sort of repetition of the same competition in Australia with the newly minted ATP Cup.
Last year Novak Djokovic already expressed his concern for the similarity of the ATP Cup and the Davis Cup and the fact that they were basically played back to back in the calendar. Nole commented:
“In my opinion the idea, if it could happen, was the merge between the two and I think it’s still open for the future. Looking long-term, I personally don’t think that the two events can co-exist six weeks apart. It’s just a little bit too congested.
The most ideal time of the year is after the US Open, probably at the end of September, that would be the best time to have this super cup, whatever, one cup, hopefully in the future.”
Shapovalov agrees with Djokovic
The Canadian expressed a similar concept in Brisbane to say:
“It would be great just to have one event that is a world championship. A month ago we played the world championship and now it feels like we are playing another one.
It would be great if they could organize and make one big event, make it a unique and special tournament. Hopefully, they can come to terms together and make something happen.”
H2H Shapovalov vs. Tsitsipas
Denis will start his season and the ATP Cup on Friday when he will face Stefanos Tsitsipas. The head to head is 4-1 for the Canadian (including 2 matches at Junior level). However, the Greek is considered as the favorite.
Denis Shapovalov’s ranking and performance in 2020
Ranked no.15 (career-high), Shapovalov played his last match on the 24th of November when he was overcome by Rafael Nadal 6-3 7-67 in the Rubber 2 in Davis Cup.
Novak Djokovic’s ranking and performance in 2020
Ranked no.2, Novak played his last match on the 22nd of November when he defeated Karen Khachanov 6-3 6-3 in the Rubber 2 in Davis Cup.
Denis Shapovalov and Novak Djokovic played each other 4 times. The head to head is 4-0 for Djokovic.
The last time that they locked horns, Novak Djokovic won 6-3 6-4 in the final in Paris (BNP Paribas Masters) in November 2019.
Here the highlights.
Denis Shapovalov and Novak Djokovic |
Embed from Getty Images |