Canada’s Shapovalov aims for top-10 return in 2026: ‘I’m able to push the top guys’

Jannik Sinner, of Italy, reacts after winning his match against Denis Shapovalov, of Canada, during the third round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Denis Shapovalov is targeting a return to the top of men’s tennis.

His performance during the past season has instilled a belief in the once-rising Canadian star that he will get there.

While top seeds Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner captivated the tennis world in 2025 — and Félix Auger-Aliassime commanded Canadian attention with his semifinal run at the U.S. Open — Shapovalov quietly built a comeback year.

“It’s obvious that when I’m able to play at my top level … I’m able to push the top guys,” he said.

Shapovalov, who begins his 2026 season at the Brisbane International this weekend, captured two ATP titles — including his first 500-level tournament with wins over three top-10 opponents at the Dallas Open — and returned to a top-25 ranking for the first time since August 2023.

The 26-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont., finished the year at No. 23, steadily climbing back from as low as 140th after a serious knee injury derailed his 2023 season and extended into 2024.

No less than former No. 1 and influential tennis podcaster Andy Roddick has taken notice, calling Shapovalov’s resurgence one of the “under-told stories” of 2025.

“Going from 150 and kind of having lost the plot a little bit and maybe being uninspired and then you look up and … Shapo is at 23 in the world,” Roddick said on the Dec. 23 episode of his “Served with Andy Roddick” podcast. “That’s a big comeback story that I don’t think anyone has talked about enough.

“Props to him.”

Shapovalov says he’s already shown that he can battle with the best, but maintaining a competitive advantage for the duration of a gruelling match, much less a full season, has often eluded the player known for his aggressive style — and occasional on-court outbursts.

A few rounds before Auger-Aliassime lost to Sinner in the U.S. Open semifinal, Shapovalov took the first set against the then-world No. 1 but lost the next three.

“We saw that when I was playing against Jannik Sinner at the U.S. Open, when I’m on my highest level, I’m able to compete with the top guys,” he said. “We felt that the biggest difference is that maybe physically I tend to drop a little bit.”

Shapovalov burst onto the tour with impressive results as a youngster.

At only 18, Shapovalov stunned Rafael Nadal in the third round of the 2017 Rogers Cup in Montreal, surging from outside the top 200 to No. 51 that year. By 21, he cracked the top 10.

Producing more consistent results, he says, is the key to breaking into the top ranks once again.

Shapovalov has worked with Swedish coach Mikael Tillström since last summer, redoubling his commitment to training and pushing his physical limits, hoping to extend his high-level play for longer periods.

“Returning to the top 10 has been a goal since I came back from my injury. That still stays in my thoughts every day, every practice. That’s what I’m going towards,” he said. “(In 2026), I would like to go deep in the Slams, go deep in the Masters.”

When it comes to competition, however, Shapovalov plans to play fewer events.

“It’s about keeping that consistency,” he said in a video call from Dubai, where he spent the bulk of his pre-season training. “And the best way for me to try to do that is to first of all, play less, play when I’m fresh.”

Though only 26 and in his so-called physical prime, Shapovalov is no longer the free-swinging kid with a backwards ballcap.

He now has to manage injuries – he strained his back at the Stockholm Open in October, and his knee flared up late in the year – and life off the court has changed as well. Shapovalov married his longtime girlfriend and fellow tennis player Mirjam Bjorklund (now Shapovalova) in September.

Looking back, Shapovalov admits he lost his way after breaking into the top 10 for the first time.

“The ranking was super important to me, to the point where when I got there, it kind of felt like, OK, now what?” he said. “You kind of freeze, and you don’t know really what to do from there. You almost play too much because you’re like, should I keep pushing, try to get even higher?

“You lose a little bit of doing the things that got you there in the first place.”

Shapovalov also says that instead of approaching each match with something to prove, he can now play freely.

“I can try to be the best of my abilities without feeling the pressure of not knowing if I’ll ever get to the top 10 or if I’ll ever get to the semis of a Slam,” he said. “It’s about seeing if I can push myself even further, and I think those things really excite me.”

While returning to the top 10 is the goal, Shapovalov believes he would still be at peace if he fails to reach those heights again.

“I’d be completely OK if, God forbid, I got injured tomorrow, and I couldn’t play again,” he said.

“I would just be super grateful for everything that I’ve been able to do this far.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 2, 2026.

Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press