Denis Shapovalov is starting to get people talking about him again after winning the biggest title of his career in Dallas.
Shapovalov made history at the Dallas Open, after beating Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul before overcoming Casper Ruud in the final.
The Canadian was tipped for big things from a young age, with Roger Federer praising Shapovalov when he was just 18-years-old.
Novak Djokovic has also supported Shapovalov over the years, and was one of many people to congratulate him on his victory in Dallas.
The question that many people have on their lips now is whether Shapovalov can continue his good form.
Rennae Stubbs predicts where Denis Shapovalov will be ranked at the end of 2025
Shapovalov is a former Wimbledon semi-finalist and has been ranked as high as world number 10.
However, over the past couple of years Shapovalov has struggled for form and fitness after suffering a knee injury.
This left Shapovalov ranked outside the top 100 as recent as September last year, before winning a title in Belgrade after coming through qualifying.
Year Denis Shapovalov’s Year-end ranking
2015 1130
2016 250
2017 51
2018 27
2019 15
2020 12
2021 14
2022 18
2023 109
2024 56
Following his latest title victory, Rennae Stubbs has backed Shapovalov to move back towards his career-high ranking and drew comparisons to Australian Open champion Madison Keys.
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“He has always had the talent, we know that,” Stubbs said on her podcast. “He has had his ups and downs. He has had his emotional ups and downs as well, it’s been very well documented. He has always had the talent but talent is one thing.
“People can assume you are going to do well like Madison Keys and keep talking about her like she should win a Grand Slam but until you do it there is always going to be that speculation of ‘well you didn’t do it’. So talent can only get you so far.
“I think with him he is always going to have been better as he got older. Because he has such shot making and so many choices of shot and so flashy and talented, it sort of takes you a little bit longer to get comfortable with what you need to do under pressure.
“I think he is going to have a very good year. I would not be surprised if there is the potential of him getting back up to the top 10 by next year. We know that he has the talent to do it. He has the weapons.
“It is just a matter of him controlling his emotions, picking the right shot and shot selection is massive when you are that talented. When you have 16 shots you can choose from it’s like this one works, keep doing it. I think we are going to see a lot from Denis this year and it could potentially be the best year he has had in a long, long time for sure.”
Although Stubbs has praised the 25-year-old, Shapovalov is likely to disagree with the Australian about how she views his game style.
What is next for Denis Shapovalov?
With Shapovalov now ranked at world number 32, he will be in a seeded position for Grand Slams and some Masters 1000 tournaments.
This will be particularly important for upcoming tournaments in Indian Wells and the Miami Open, where he will receive a bye to the second round due to his new ranking and will not have to play a fellow seed until at least the third round.
Before then, Shapovalov will play another ATP 500 tournament in Acapulco where Alexander Zverev, and three players he beat in Dallas, Fritz, Ruud and Paul are the top four seeds.
The Acapulco Open will get underway on Monday February 24, but Shapovalov will compete at a tennis event away from the ATP Tour prior to this.
Shapovalov will play at the Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) event in Guadalajara, but will not be joined by Nick Kyrgios after he withdrew.