Nine losses from 10 matches: How can Denis Shapovalov turn form around before US Open after Canadian Open loss?

The Canadian Open first-round match between Alex de Minaur and Denis Shapovalov was in the balance when it was suspended last Monday. De Minaur had taken the first set, but with the second-set tie-break level at 3-3 there was still the potential for a Shapovalov fightback when the contest resumed on Tuesday.

But that was discounting Shapovalov’s torrid recent form, which made it not too surprising that the warm-up for the second part of the match lasted longer than the remainder of the tie-break. A double fault to start set the tone, and three more mistakes sent Shapovalov spiralling to his ninth defeat from his last 10 matches, a world away from beating an injured Rafael Nadal on his way to making the quarter-finals in Rome in May.

The 23-year-old's only singles victory in the last three months was in five sets over Arthur Rinderknech at Wimbledon, and he has fallen outside the top 20 for the first time in nearly three years.

So what’s happened to the 2021 Wimbledon semi-finalist and 2022 Australian Open quarter-finalist?

Unfortunately for Shapovalov, his style of play, which he describes as “super aggressive”, is more prone to ups and downs than some of the steadier players, like De Minaur.

On his best days, Shapovalov can be electrifying. His jumping single-handed backhand is one of the most exciting shots in the game, and being a lefty, he can find tricky angles with his groundstrokes and serve that others simply can’t. His highlight reels from his best matches are surely spectacular viewing.

But consistency has been an ongoing issue for the Canadian.

Last year at Wimbledon, he acknowledged he was probably a “bit too wild” and “didn’t make the opponents earn it on the big points”. He says he has always played aggressive from a young age, and when it comes off it's a glorious watch as winners fly all over the court. But even before beating Nadal, there were signs of what might be coming; the lost one-sided 6-1 first set in Rome a repeat of what had happened in defeat to Andy Murray in Madrid the previous week.

Such a slump for such a talented player is still surprising, especially considering all the defeats have been against players outside the top 30.

Asked after his latest defeat how he wants his game to evolve in the game next few years, Shapovalov, who made his breakthrough in Montreal in 2017 when he stunned Nadal in three sets, said: “Just getting consistent at the things I do.

“I am obviously very aggressive, play make-it-or-break-it tennis, so get more consistent at executing everything.

“I am able to do it at certain parts of the year then I lose it, so it’s just about getting more solid and not doubting my decisions and making sure I make most of the plays that I go for.”

Shapovalov was brilliant at the start of the year, helping Canada win the ATP Cup and beating world No. 3 Alexander Zverev in straight sets at the Australian Open. He almost made a second Grand Slam semi-final as he was edged out by Nadal in a heated contest in Melbourne. But it’s been a rocky ride since, not that Shapovalov seems overly worried.

“That’s what tennis is. It’s a lot of ups and downs,” he told the ATP earlier this month.

“There are very few players who can be super consistent; that’s just the nature of the game. You just have to be patient with it, get used to it, stay positive, keep working and keep believing in yourself.”

But can Shapovalov’s high-risk approach bring him sustained success? So far it’s been predictably hit and miss throughout his career. Along with the two Grand Slam quarter-finals and one semi-final, there have been six exits before the fourth round in the previous three years. There has been progress – after the Wimbledon semi-finals last year, Novak Djokovic said he thought Shapovalov had “matured as a player” and showed more “understanding how to construct the point". But the more patient approach seems to have been lost at times in recent months.

If Shapovalov is looking for inspiration he doesn’t need to any further than the hottest player on the tour right now. Nick Kyrgios was once upon a time far more reckless and loose; now he’s found a better balance, he’s in the form of his life and is a serious contender for the US Open after making the Wimbledon final last month. Can Shapovalov harness his undoubted talents in the same way Kyrgios has?

Canadian doubles player Sharon Fichman thinks the key for Shapovalov is building up “adversity muscle”.

“The most important thing when you are going through hell is just to keep going. It’s very cliché but it’s the truth,” Fichman told Sportsnet.

“The only way to get through difficult times is just to keep going. You can’t hide. Sometimes you can take time off if you need it physically or mentally, but he needs some wins and more matches.

“This is the ugly side of professional sport, it’s not always the highest of highs, it’s also the lows, and navigating through it and trudging through the mud builds adversity muscle.

“As he gets older he’s going to be able to manage the lows a lot but you need to go through these streaks to build those adversity muscles and that is what we are seeing right now.”

If the solution is for Shapovalov to ride this streak out, the difficulty is knowing how much longer it will last.