Denis Shapovalov’s stunning performance at the 2021 Wimbledon Championship has delighted Canadian tennis fans who already have plenty to cheer about. The 22-year-old is one of a handful of players from the country who are rising to the top of the sport.
So, could we be about to witness a golden age for Canadian tennis?
Grand Slam semi-final: unlocked ?@denis_shapo reaches the final four at a major for the first
time, winning a five-set epic 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 against Karen Khachanov#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/UByE5tUMLm— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 7, 2021
Denis Shapovalov
In 2018, Shapovalov impressively broke into the top 30 at a relatively early stage in his professional career. A number of deep runs into ATP Masters tournaments have since lifted him as high as No. 10 in the world.
A regular winner on the Challenger Tour and ITF Futures finals, the 22-year-old won his first ATP title at the Stockholm Open in 2019 and reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final at the US Open in 2020.
Shapovalov is currently priced as high as 60/1 to win the US Open, though this is subject to fluctuation as the tournament approaches. For this reason, it’s beneficial to keep an eye on sites such as https://www.bonus.ca/, which offer comprehensive online guides with the best deals and tennis odds from top sports betting sites. Keep an eye out for our next man in the betting lists too.
Félix Auger-Aliassime
Félix Auger-Aliassime was Shapovalov’s former junior doubles partner and looks to be following in his footsteps on the singles tour. Aged just 20, the Montreal-born right-hander won the US Open junior title in 2016 and broke into the world top 20 aged 18.
Auger-Aliassime has nine Challenger and ITF Futures titles to his name and has reached eight ATP career finals. In 2021, he recorded his best Grand Slam result yet, reaching the quarter-finals at Wimbledon as covered by https://www.independent.co.uk/. It’s only a matter of time before he breaks his duck on the main tour and, along with Shapovalov, he has been tipped to be one of the dominant names in the sport over the next decade.
Bianca Andreescu
In the women’s event, Bianca Andreescu has already made history by becoming the highest-ranked Canadian in the history of women’s tennis, reaching No. 4 in the world at the age of 19.
In 2019, she also became the first Canadian tennis player ever to win a Grand Slam singles title, beating Serena Williams in the US Open final as reported in https://www.theguardian.com. Her progress in 2020 was hampered by a knee injury but it is hoped she can bounce back and add to her three career titles. With the prowess she’s already displayed so far in her career, it’s clear that Andreescu has the ability to become one of the greats of the women’s game.
— Bianca (@Bandreescu_) June 20,
2021
Leylah Annie Fernandez
Another women’s player worth keeping an eye on is Montreal-born Leylah Annie Fernandez who recently won her first WTATour singles title at the 2021 Monterrey Open where she didn’t drop a set. She has already reached the third round of a Grand Slam (2020 French Open) and also looks set to be a star of the future.
These are just four of the great hopes of Canadian tennis. Fans will be hoping they can eclipse the achievements of other Canadian professionals such as Milos Raonic, Vasek Pospisil and Eugenie Bouchard, who have all been elite contenders during their careers but not quite reached the very top.
