Denis Shapovalov has been accused of being too soft following his straight-set defeat to Alex de Minaur at Queen’s Club.
The Canadian burst onto the ATP Tour in 2017 after a breakthrough run at the Canadian Open, where the then 18-year-old beat Juan Martin del Potro, Rafael Nadal, and more.
The big-hitting left-hander was seen as a hugely exciting young talent but he hasn’t really been able to deliver on his potential.
One Grand Slam semi-final and a highest ranking of 10 arguably make for underwhelming reading for a player of his calibre.
Now aged 27, Shapovalov‘s window of opportunity may be passing, and in the second round at Queen’s Club, De Minaur took him apart on Wednesday.
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After a fairly even first set, which went 6-4 to the Australian, Shapovalov wilted on the Andy Murray Arena and lost the second 6-1.
The Tel Aviv-born player made a string of unenforced errors and the much more consistent De Minaur took advantage.
In the space of just over a year, Shapovalov has had three separate coaches in his corner. His six-month stint with Janko Tipsarevic ended in May 2025, before Mikael Tillstrom took over until February.
Mirjam Bjorklund is now coaching the Canadian, who has fallen to 41st in the rankings. During his loss to De Minaur, 1987 Wimbledon champion Pat Cash offered to coaching Shapovalov.
However, he also had some choice words for his attitude and strategy.
He said on the BBC’s coverage of Queen’s, “We know his plan A. It’s smashing serves and hitting spectacular shots but when things aren’t going well, what do you do?
“You’ve got to have a plan B if you get punched in the face a few times. His plan B is more of plan A. He would be the most frustrating player… I would love to sit down with him and work with him for a bit and bring out some toughness.
“When you say he has all the shots, he actually doesn’t have all the shots. He has big swings but he doesn’t have that median shot that is good under pressure but not a complete defensive shot.
“Tennis is a game of controlled aggression. You teeter on that, sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less.”
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