The return of tennis took place recently without the presence of one of its biggest stakeholders – the fans. That is also how it will be for the foreseeable future as the coronavirus pandemic still exists. While it won’t feel the same for players on the court without fans cheering them on from the stands, Canada’s Denis Shapovalov said that many players are used to being in this situation.

“We’ve all been through it before, I went through Futures, Challengers when there’s barely any people watching. So it’s going to be kind of back to that,” the top-ranked Canadian player said in a recent interview with the Canadian Press. Shapovalov said that players are excited to just be playing again. “I think everyone’s still motivated to play regardless of whether there’s fans or not. Everyone just wants to get on the court and compete,” he expressed.

Denis Shapovalov hopes to channel remote fan support

The current world number 16 is known to use the crowd to pump himself up during matches. His flamboyant style and flair have earned him a lot of fans. Despite saying that he will adjust well to not having them in the stands at the US Open and Western and Southern Open, Shapovalov will certainly miss them.

“It’s going to be interesting, especially in New York. I feel like I have so much love and support in the city and the past years I’ve been able to gather some really big crowds,” Shapovalov said. “So it’s going to be interesting playing over here without the fans, but I’ll definitely feel their support through the screens, through the internet, still know they’re there with me while I’m on court,” he added.

Happy with US Open arrangements, says Shapovalov

Shapovalov made it to New York for the US Open but admitted that the COVID-19 situation still keeps him unsure about his schedule going forward. He even had doubts about the US Open. But upon arriving in New York, the 21-year-old is happy with the arrangements so far. “Even with the U.S. Open I didn’t know how it was going to work with all the players staying at the same hotel and volunteers and everything, but so far it seems to be panning out really well,” he said.

“They’re doing a good job of really making sure everything’s clean and testing us as soon as we get into the hotel, and everything’s been pretty good so far,” an impressed Shapovalov added.

The youngster rose to fame by defeating Rafael Nadal as an 18-year-old at the 2017 Rogers Cup in his home country. Shapovalov reached a career-high ranking of 13, earlier this year. He won his first and only ATP title at the 2019 Stockholm Open. With the absence of a few leading players, Shapovalov could be a dark-horse at the Western and Southern Open and US Open.

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