THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 9, 2023

Denis Shapovalov

Press Conference

R. SAFIULLIN/D. Shapovalov

3-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Denis, what are your thoughts after today's match?

DENIS SHAPOVALOV: Got a lot of thoughts. Yeah, I mean, don't want to take anything away from Roman, first of all. I think he played really, really well. Obviously he's liking the grass a lot. I think he served and return and everything was really good from him today.

Yeah, I mean, first and foremost, hopefully I can get healthy soon. Hopefully I can solve the problem with the knee. Yeah, try to fix it. Happy it didn't flare up in the first round, but at the same time, it's difficult to play tennis when, yeah, when I had the issue that I have.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Did it bother you the whole time? When did it start bothering you?

DENIS SHAPOVALOV: Yeah, I mean, I felt sore the whole time. But actually, yeah, I was getting more tired in the glutes and around the knee, the quads and everything, from the beginning of the match. It was getting worse and worse. I think as soon as like, yeah, as soon as other parts get tired, just have more and more impact on the knee.

Yeah, as the match went on, it just became unbearable, yeah.

Q. It's been months of this injury. I'm sure you have tried everything and asked everybody. Is it worrying now because you're still hurting or have you been told that it's normal that it's still hurting?

DENIS SHAPOVALOV: It's normal because I haven't done a full recovery on it.

It's not shocking that it happened. It is disappointing, obviously. Obviously it felt like I was playing good tennis, and had chances today to maybe, you know, get into the quarterfinals. Doesn't help that I have a cold, as well.

Yeah, definitely something that I need to fix fully. Maybe do the full treatment on it. Take more time off of tennis to really fix it. Because, yeah, they basically said until I get stronger it's going to kind of be like this. That's if I want to keep playing.

The other option is to kind of stop and try to fix it. So, yeah, I've got some decisions to make.

Q. Had you thought about skipping the clay and coming back for grass, or was it not enough time?

DENIS SHAPOVALOV: It was, it was. That's why I took the time off after Rome, or during Rome I went to a doctor. He told me I should be fine for Roland Garros. So I trusted him, which I was feeling much better through Roland Garros, through the first couple events on the grass.

Then it started to get worse again. Yeah, I mean, I was definitely considering skipping all of clay and most of grass and just coming out for Wimbledon, but it did sound much sweeter, you know, to play Roland Garros and then play the grass.

That was the decision I made ultimately, and obviously I think I'm still happy I did it, still had a decent result at Roland Garros and here. But yeah, it is an issue that I need to fix. I'm obviously not going to be winning tournaments with the pain that I have.

Q. What does a full recovery look like? How many months are we talking about? Is it surgery? I imagine there's probably a few different options, but what would you say is like the minimum you would expect to have to shut down and then rebuild?

DENIS SHAPOVALOV: Yeah, I think the minimum would be two months. Yeah, I mean, hopefully no surgery.

Obviously with surgery it would be much longer, but I would say the minimum would be two months.

Q. Could that be the fall after...

DENIS SHAPOVALOV: I don't know. Could be right now. I don't know. With today I need to consider things.

Q. Your plans for the summer are on hold? You just don't know where you're at, what the next couple of months are going to bring?

DENIS SHAPOVALOV: Yeah, don't really know. After today it's a little bit difficult. Pretty big setback. Towards the end of the match, I couldn't even walk let alone play.

Yeah, that's probably the worst that it's been in a long time. Yeah, need to talk with the team. Need to try to see some more specialists and see what I can do.

But I think I've held off enough points making third round of French, fourth round here. So maybe it is a good time to take a break, try to fix this, and come back for the fall.

But then again, I would be missing an important part of the season which I love to play, which is in North America. So yeah, it's tough, but unfortunately that's our life (smiling).

Q. You kept playing to the end, even challenged the last point of the game but had you thought, I need to stop, I can't continue?

DENIS SHAPOVALOV: No, I never stop if I start a match. I don't stop unless I can't walk or I can't -- yeah. If something really happens, then I'll stop. But yeah, I was taught if I, you know, step out onto the court, I finish the match.

Q. What exactly is it or what generally is it that has to be, about the knee, that's causing the problem?

DENIS SHAPOVALOV: I mean, I don't want to go into details. I think everybody keeps their things pretty private in tennis so I prefer to keep my stuff private as well.

Q. When did it first occur?

DENIS SHAPOVALOV: I've had an issue with it years ago, and it went away. Last year in the finals of Vienna I started to feel it again. Then Paris was very bad.

Yeah, so I was hoping that with the offseason I can kind of regroup it. But it's been on and off since Vienna last year.

Q. So the work you have to do is to strengthen around the knee?

DENIS SHAPOVALOV: Yeah.

Q. Obviously you picked the route of playing through it and not taking time off. Have you been told it's something you can make worse by doing that or is it a constant pain?

DENIS SHAPOVALOV: No, yeah, that's probably the biggest reason why I've continued is they said, yeah, it's very good chance it's not going to get worse. It could get very painful but it's not going to get worse.

It's more about like the inflammation that causes a lot of pain. Yeah, that's a big reason why I have continued, and I've heard from many different people that that's the case that it's not going to get worse.

Because, yeah, if there was a chance, I definitely wouldn't risk that.

Q. But then do you start to compensate or overcompensate? Is that the problem you run into, right?

DENIS SHAPOVALOV: Yeah, of course. The problem is I'm not strong enough around the knee, so the knee takes a big blow. But of course I do start to compensate with the other leg and everything else. So it does get into effect, for sure.

Q. You mentioned this summer. Does the pounding on the hard courts, is that especially bad?

DENIS SHAPOVALOV: It's not great, yeah. Obviously not great. I don't think there is any surface really that's great for it, because with clay, it's long rallies, grass is uneven, hard courts it's a lot of pounding on it.

You know, the best is to not play (smiling).