2016 Wimbledon Juniors champion Denis Shapovalov reveals his dream was to compete against the biggest stars of the game. The 18-year-old specifically mentioned the names of Andy Murray, Rafa Nadal, and Roger Federer. The three mentioned superstars are members of the so-called Big Four group, which also includes Serb Novak Djokovic.
Canada's Shapovalov clashed off against the great Nadal on Court Central at the Rogers Cup in Montreal in front of his home on Thursday. The world No. 143 created a first-class surprise, outclassing the world No. 2 3-6 6-4 7-6 (7-4).
The win went down as one of the most memorable wins in Canadian tennis history.
Shapovalov's big-time win reminded the nation of Daniel Nestor's 1992 heroics, who showed courage against Swede Stefan Edberg in his Davis Cup debut. Back then, a teenager, world No. 238 Nestor, edged Edberg, who was the highest ranked player in the world at that time, in a five-setter 4-6 6-3 1-6 6-3 6-4.
"Yeah, it's incredible. I'm actually very honored to be compared to Nestor, that match against Edberg," Shapovalov said post-match. "It's what I dreamed of all my life growing up, playing guys like Rafa, Roger, Andy. You know, my dream came true today."
'I stayed pretty calm'
Teenager Shapovalov showed a promising mental toughness on Thursday night in Montreal as he didn't fall under the pressure in the key moments.
Nadal, 31, was pressing on Shapovalov's serve throughout the third set but the Canadian saved each of the Spaniard's six break points to force a tie-break. Moreover, Nadal opened up a 3-0 tie-break lead and was up by 4-3 when Shapovalov went on to win four points in a row and seal the win.
"Yeah, I think I stayed pretty calm," Shapovalov claimed.
"I played really well in the big moments."
The talented Canadian also gave recognition to the 15-time Grand Slam champion.
"It was extremely hard physically and mentally," he added. "Rafa is such a warrior. Such a tough match."
'Just pure happiness'
Shapovalov fell on the ground and looked up to the sky after hitting a winner to send Nadal packing out of Montreal.
The crowd went into a frenzy as the Canadian achieved the biggest win of his short career.
Just a day earlier on Wednesday, Shapovalov made it past 2009 US Open champion Juan-Martin del Potro in round two.
''Yeah, it just felt really surreal, you knowm'' Shapovalov confessed. ''I mean, I couldn't believe it actually happened. Yeah, it's tough to explain the emotions that were going through my head at that moment. But it was just pure happiness.''
