AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 21, 2023

Denis Shapovalov

Press Conference

H. HURKACZ/D. Shapovalov

7-6, 6-4, 1-6, 4-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Welcome to the press conference of Denis Shapovalov. Denis, unfortunately, not the result you wanted today, but just talk us through the match today with Hubert Hurkacz.

DENIS SHAPOVALOV: It was a tough match. It's one of those matches, one of those days. It's pretty heartbreaking. I had a lot of chances I think in all the sets. So just a little bit tough.

Yeah, I mean, overall I think it's good that I was able to kind of fight back and try to come back. So some positives for sure.

THE MODERATOR: Some questions.

Q. You just said it was quite heartbreaking. Is there anything you wish you would have done differently, maybe in the fifth set?

DENIS SHAPOVALOV: Not in the fifth set. Fifth set he played too good. I mean, like I said, I was up in the first and second sets, so getting one of those, at least one of those two, would have changed the match for sure. It's a little bit difficult to try to win three straight sets against a guy that's a top-10 player.

Difficult that I wasn't able to close out the first set and hold the break in the second. But, yeah, just tennis, that's how it goes sometimes.

Q. I was going to say the same thing to you. It's tough to lose, win three sets in a row against a good player after the first two. Did you feel before the match that that was a tough matchup, to get him in the third round?

DENIS SHAPOVALOV: Of course, it's a tough matchup. You're going to get tough players in slams. I think it's expected. Nonetheless, I felt good about my chances going into it.

I think obviously he's got the better of us in the head-to-head, but feel pretty good. Whenever we practice against each other, I usually get the better of him.

I think just nerves played a big part in the match today. So unfortunately just wasn't able to control the emotions too well. That's something that I'm working on. So I just have to try to keep working, try to get better at that.

I think today was a little bit just nerves. I have all the tools. I have I think all the weapons. It's just about being able to put them together and playing big in the big moments.

Q. Does Peter, a sports psychologist, give you a plan to try to handle the nerves as best you can?

DENIS SHAPOVALOV: Yeah, of course. Of course. But there's only so much they can do. At the end of the day, it's up to me. It's just something that I need to improve on.

Q. Tactically would you do anything different? He was going a lot to your backhand, and you were having a lot of his forehand to your backhand.

DENIS SHAPOVALOV: Like I said, could have won the first set, could have won the second set, won the third, won the fourth. Fifth set I had four or five break points to break back. So I was in every set, to say the least.

Yeah, I think, no, I wouldn't change the game plan at all.