Monte Carlo. Denis Shapovalov is about to start his clay court season, and he might face the very best in Monte Carlo: Rafael Nadal.
The young Canadian has just broken in the top20 after a fantastic run in Miami where he reached the semifinal before losing to Roger Federer. This year, Denis needs to find a way to have good runs on clay that his least preferred surface. However, even if his game style is not 100% suitable for the dirt, last year he surprised after he reached the semifinal in Madrid (also “helped” by the fast conditions).
Last year in Monte Carlo, Denis lost in the 1st round to Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3 6-4.
Denis has recently decided to partner again with his former coach Adriano Furivia to try to have more consistent results.
Denis Shapovalov in Monte Carlo
Back to Monaco, Denis may face Rafael Nadal in the 3rd round if he will bear Jan-Lenard Struff, and (probably) Dimitrov. This is Denis projected path.
R1 – Struff
R2 – Dimitrov
R3 – Nadal
1/4 – (if ever) Cilic/Wawrinka
1/2 – Zverev/Nishikori
Head to head Shapovalov vs. Nadal
The head to head between Denis and Rafa is 1-all. The Canadian defeated Nadal at the Rogers Cup 2 years ago after a memorable match. However, Rafa did strike back last year after he beat Denis in Rome 6-4 6-1.
Here the full Monte Carlo draw
SHAPOVALOV, NADAL IN ROME
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