Article and Photos By Mike McIntyre
For those in Canada who once upon a time dreamed of the day when the country would make its mark on the international tennis scene 2019 must signal mission accomplished. Only a third of the way through the season and it seems like Canada can already boast of stealing the show in terms of coming-out parties on both the ATP and WTA Tour's. While there is still plenty of tennis left to be played this year it would be hard to fathom two player's capturing their respective Newcomer of the Year awards other than 18 year old's Bianca Andreescu and Felix Auger Aliassime. Add the just-turned 20 year old Denis Shapovalov and you've got a trio of players who are going to capture this nation's attention for the next decade if not longer. Of course, the more success Canada's tennis crew enjoys, the higher chance that they will inevitably face one another with more frequency. Case in point - the Mutua Madrid Open which begins play Sunday and pits fellow Canadians and good friends Shapovalov and Auger Aliassime against one another in the opening round.
The two talented youngsters have faced each other once before in an ATP match, just last summer at the US Open in New York. The match was played in muggy conditions and was split at a set apiece when Auger Aliassime was forced to retire while down 1-4 in the third frame due to an elevated heart rate. A worrisome moment to be sure but one that has since been corrected according to Auger Aliassime. At the time Shapovalov was the known quantity to the tennis world, while his younger compatriot had yet to have his breakthrough moment at the ATP level.
Fast forward to 2019 and while Shapovalov has maintained a presence in the top-30, it is Auger Aliassime who has shot up the rankings and made people take notice. The Montreal native began the year ranked just outside the top 100 on the ATP Tour but currently finds himself at a career-high No. 30. One element that sets Auger Aliassime apart from Shapovalov and other North American tennis players is his comfort level on clay, the surface that he and his Shapovalov will play each other on in Madrid. Clay is not a commonly found court surface in Canada unless you are talking about the green har-tru clay rather than the thicker red clay that is preferred in Europe and used in about 99% of ATP clay court events. This year Auger Aliassime boasts a record of 9-6 on the surface while also making his first ever Masters 1000 semifinal on hard court as well back in March in Miami. His versatility is what some predict will give him an edge moving forward in his career over Shapovalov and other contemporaries of his who will attempt to make their mark in the coming years.
Shapovalov is already a well-established product in his home country and elsewhere thanks in part to a stirring run in Montreal in the summer of 2017 where he made the semifinals, taking out Rafael Nadal along the way. Last year he proved he can have success on clay as well making the semifinals here in Madrid, though his game is not as suited to the surface in part due to his impulsivity in shot selection and wanting to end points quickly. He and Auger Aliassime could not be more different on and off the court - kind of in a Sampras vs Agassi kind of way. Auger Aliassime is the more consistent and calm presence who seems to avoid the limelight away from the game while Shapovalov has a go-for-broke style on court and appears quite comfortable crafting his social media presence where he creates entertaining vlogs and regularly shares behind-the-scenes moments with his fans.
Some pundits feel that Auger Aliassime is the favourite coming into their Madrid match due to his preference to the surface while others feel that the quicker playing Madrid courts and higher altitude give Shapovalov the edge. Whoever emerges victorious has the unenviable task of facing the greatest clay court player of all-time in Rafael Nadal in the second round. Regardless of the result one thing is certain - these two players will have ample opportunity moving forward to establish a simultaneously strong Canadian rivalry and friendship that should grip tennis fans in the country for years to come.
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