Denis Shapovalov was once ranked inside the world’s top ten but has declined in recent years.
The Canadian star has endured a tough time on the ATP Tour in the past few seasons, after breaking out in 2019.
Shapovalov reached the final of the Paris Masters in 2019, losing to Novak Djokovic, as he announced himself as one of the top young players on tour.
His reputation grew even stronger a few months later, as he led Canada to their first-ever Davis Cup final with wins over Russia, Australia, the USA, and Italy.
The 25-year-old then reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 2021, his best-ever Grand Slam performance, falling to eventual champion Djokovic in straight sets.
Since then, his form has dipped significantly, but his win at the Belgrade Open at the end of 2024, just his second tour-level title, could give Shapovalov some serious momentum heading into the new year.
Before then, the Canadian has taken time to look back upon a strange practice session he took part in back in 2020.
Denis Shapovalov recalls ‘ridiculous’ practice session he had with Bernard Tomic
Speaking ahead of the UTS Tour finals, Shapovalov recalled the time he trained with Bernard Tomic ahead of his 2020 season.
“I was doing pre-season in the Gold Coast and I was super confident, I made Paris [Masters] finals, so I’m working so hard,” he said.
“[Mikhail] Youzhny was saying [Bernard] Tomic is here, maybe we should set up a practice.
“I’m like is he hitting? How good is it going to be? He’s like no he says he’s good, he said let’s do two hours tomorrow.”
Youzhny has been a member of Shapovalov’s coaching set-up since August 2019, after winning ten tour-level titles during his time as a professional.
Thanasi Kokkinakis jokingly told Shapovalov that he’d made a pretty big error in agreeing to train with his fellow Australian.
“First mistake, never sign up for practice with Bernie,” he said.
Shapovalov went on to explain what happened during their session.
“We start hitting and everything is good, ten, 15 minutes in, he’s like hey can we grab a drink, I’m gassed, he’s on the bench saying this is my first hit in six months or something like that.
“He’s like guys I can’t do much more. And we’re saying ok, so Youzhny says hey can you stand on one side and move me? He’s like, yeah, yeah, no problem, I can do another ten minutes of that, no problem.
“After 30 minutes, he’s like yeah guys I’m done, I can’t go anymore, and Youzhny asks can we just play a quick tiebreak or ten points to finish practice? He’s like yeah, yeah sure let’s do it.”
The Canadian couldn’t believe what happened next.
“Dude the guy crushes me like 10-4,” said Shapovalov.
“Insane, I wasn’t playing bad, the guy was passing me, playing ridiculous, and I was like low-key ******.
“I’ve been putting in all of this work, the guy comes in, hasn’t hit in six months and he’s toying with me.
“I remember he comes up to me on the bench after that and he’s like so are you going to practice this afternoon?
“I’m like yeah I’m back on the court in a couple of hours, what about you? He’s like nah, I’m going to go surfing.”
How good could Bernard Tomic have been?
Many fans will agree that Tomic is one of the biggest examples of wasted potential we’ve seen on the ATP Tour.
Attitude problems and a lack of commitment, have cost the Australian from becoming the player that he very well could be.
In 2024, Tomic set an unwanted record for the quickest final loss in ATP Challenger history, losing in just 39 minutes.
Now 32 years old it seems unlikely that we ever will see Tomic reach the top of men’s tennis, but just how good could he have been?
| Year | Tournament | Result | Notes |
| 2011 | Wimbledon | Lost in QF to Novak Djokovic | Became youngest Wimbledon quarterfinalist since Boris Becker in 1986 |
| 2012 | Australian Open | Lost in 4R to Roger Federer | His best result at his home tournament |
| 2013 | Sydney International | Won – Beat Kevin Anderson in the final | Maiden ATP title |
| 2014 | Colombia Open | Won – Beat Ivo Karlovic in the final | Won the title as a wildcard |
| 2015 | Colombia Open | Won – Beat Adrian Mannarino in the final | Defended a title for the first and only time of his career |
| 2015 | Davis Cup | Lost in SF to Great Britain | Won three of his four matches in the world group, only losing to Andy Murray |
| 2016 | Mexican Open | Lost in F to Dominic Thiem | First ever final above ATP 250 level |
| 2018 | Chengdu Open | Won – Beat Fabio Fognini in the final | Saved four match points in the final |
There were some pretty memorable moments amidst the inconsistencies of Tomic’s career, perhaps his Grand Slam quarter-final appearance being the highlight.
In the past few years, his ranking has dropped significantly however, now playing at the Challenger level, ranked outside the top 200.
Tomic will likely return to action for several home tournaments in Australia, at the beginning of 2025.
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