Denis Shapovalov has made 2017 his year for tennis. In addition to beating Rafael Nadal at the Rogers Cup, he's made it to the fourth round of the US Open, skyrocketed in the rankings and was named the ATP Star of Tomorrow. His future is definitely looking bright as he is remarkably only 18-years-old and already ripping up the history books.

Young star

This young tennis star could be on the verge of winning multiple major titles. What a moment it was when teenage sensation Denis Shapovalov stunned Rafael Nadal in front of his home fans in Canada.

Shapovalov has achieved a lot as a young tennis athlete and is sure to be an inspiration and motivation to future tennis athletes. He has beaten the odds and shocked everyone with his speed, dexterity, tenacity, passion, and will to win. He has been described as dangerous, which is definitely accurate.

Confidence

For Shapovalov, going through qualifying must surely have kept him motivated. In addition, winning those matches has the capability to give him even more confidence. Confidence is an important quality to have as a sports athlete, as it will allow one to reach their goals by putting forth all of their blood, sweat, and tears.

Denis has made history as the youngest man in the US Open since 1989. Denis Shapovalov's life has, without question, changed for the better and he has had to adjust to the fame. Denis Shapvalov commented on this saying, "A couple of weeks after the US Open I was trying to walk around the malls in Toronto and I kept getting stopped.

But it's been a lot different going from just being a regular high school student, to having your face on magazines and being talked about."

Making history

Congrats to Denis Shapovalov for being voted 2017 ATP "Newcomer of the Year" by his peers. He has made more breakthroughs than any player his age since Nadal, partly thanks to that win over Nadal at the 2017 Rogers Cup in Montreal last August.

Going from a ranking of 250 to 51 in just ten months is quite an achievement. Shapvalov has worked very hard to get where he is now and it is inevitable that he will want to continue to improve and stun us all. He fought hard on the court and it showed. It will be exciting to see what his 2018 ranking will be. Many are, no doubt, expecting him to move up and will inevitably be by his side cheering him on. He is the type of athlete that will continue to push himself harder and push himself to achieve great things as a tennis player. Although he has achieved a lot already, he was surely still upset to not win the US Open.