Shapovalov struggles with injuries but finds confidence in Los Cabos final

MONTREAL — Denis Shapovalov insists there’s nothing wrong with his tennis. It’s his body, rather, that’s been holding him back.

“It’s been a tricky year because I have been feeling good on court,” Shapovalov said Monday in Montreal. “I’ve been feeling good in practices, but I’ve been struggling physically. It’s been a very challenging year for my body.

“There’s a lot of weeks out of the year that I have been trying to do my best to play through it as best as I can, knowing that it’s not going to be ideal playing injured or playing hurt. I’ve been trying to push through.”

Despite his injury struggles, the 27-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont., arrived in Montreal for the National Bank Open fresh off Saturday’s final in an ATP 250 hard-court event in Los Cabos, Mexico.

The Canadian won four consecutive matches before losing in straight sets to France’s Arthur Gea in the championship match. Shapovalov fell a win short of defending the Los Cabos crown he’d earned in 2025.

“It was definitely a great week in Los Cabos,” Shapovalov said. “I ran out a little bit of energy there at the end. I played a lot of great matches coming back from an injury. It’s never easy. I definitely couldn’t have asked for more from myself for a week like that.”

Shapovalov has endured a frustrating 2026 season, compiling a 13-15 record.

After fracturing a rib at the Queen’s Club Championships grass court tournament, Shapovalov retired from his opening-round Wimbledon match June 29 against Pablo Carreno Busta because of a shoulder injury. He didn’t play again until Los Cabos.

“I’ve been struggling with a lot of injuries this season, pretty much since after Miami,” he said. “It’s been a really tough year for me physically, so I’m just happy to be back on court.”

His expectations entering last week’s tournament in Mexico were modest.

“It was a tremendous week for me,” he said. “The goal was to try to play as many matches as possible. I tried to find my game again and just be back on court. I achieved all those things, so definitely a great week for me.”

The deep run, however, came at a cost.

Shapovalov arrived in Montreal early Monday morning feeling the effects of a demanding week that featured a handful of late-night finishes on the slow Mexican hard courts.

Recurring rain at IGA Stadium also threatened to limit his preparation ahead of his first-round match Tuesday against American Zachary Svajda.

“It’s tough,” said Shapovalov. “It’s not easy. It is part of the tour life. Any time that you are going to go deep in tournaments, it’s going to jeopardize, perhaps, your preparation for the next event. You just have to take it for what it is.”

Shapovalov’s runner-up finish in Los Cabos lifted him 25 places in the ATP rankings to No. 43. He said improving his ranking was secondary to regaining full health.

“The priority is to be healthy right now, to play good tennis and to find my game in the matches that I am playing,” he said. “Obviously, my ranking shouldn’t be where it is right now.

“I can beat good players. I have the level. It’s just part of the sport. You have so many guys nowadays that are struggling with injuries. It’s a grueling season.”

Montreal’s tournament has been challenging for Shapovalov. Since a breakthrough semifinal appearance in 2017, he’s managed just one win in Montreal after a second-round exit in 2019 and first-round defeats in both 2022 and 2024.

Still, returning to the city where his career first captured the attention of Canadian tennis fans remained meaningful to him.

“It means a lot to me every time I come to Canada and, specifically, to Montreal, where I had my first real kind of moment on tour, my first run,” Shapovalov said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 3, 2026.