By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday July 9, 2021
After defeating Denis Shapovalov in three sets on Friday at Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic encouraged the Centre Court crowd to give the 22-year-old Canadian a round of applause and told them that they’d be seeing a lot of him in the years to come.
The World No.1, despite his 7-0 lifetime record against Shapovalov, came away impressed by the improvements that Shapovalov has made in the last 12 months, and his form on the grass.
“I never lost to him, but last three, four matches that we played against each other were very, very close,” Djokovic told reporters. “Today, again, three very tight sets. He was the better player I think for the first couple sets.
“He was serving for first set. He was better for most of the second set. Had a lot of opportunities and just didn't manage to close it out when he needed to.”
Djokovic, who will bid to tie Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal atop the all-time men’s singles Grand Slam titles list with 20 when he faces Matteo Berrettini in the Wimbledon final, says that it was just a matter of producing on the big points that separated him from the No.12-seeded Canadian.
“In important moments I think I probably held my nerves better than he did and just make him play an extra shot, make him do an unforced error, which was the case,” he said.
Djokovic hinted that grass may end up being Shapovalov’s best surface.
“It's tough to play Denis, particularly on grass and quicker surfaces with the lefty serve that he's got,” he said. “He can hit any spot. I think he's one of the best serves on the tour, without a doubt. When he's on, when he's feeling that serve, it's a weapon on any surface against anyone.”
The Serb also praised Shapovalov’s maturity.
“I think he has matured as a player,” he said. “I feel like he's probably taking down the number of the unforced errors comparing to maybe last year. I feel like he's always been a very aggressive player, trying to make winners, come to the net, dictate the play from the back of the court.
“But I feel like now he's probably a bit more patient in his game. He's understanding how to construct the point. Unfortunately for him that was maybe lacking in important moments. I just managed to force him to do an error, just play the right shots at the right time.
“But it was not straightforward match, even though it was a straight-set victory. It was very close. He's had a fantastic tournament. I told him after the match he should keep working, keep believing, because with a game like that he's going to get a lot more opportunities in the future without a doubt.”