It took a little bit of time but Denis Shapovalov is an ATP titleholder.
The 20-year-old Canadian won his first championship on Sunday at the Stockholm Open in a straight-sets victory over Filip Krajinovic. It's a big step for the left-hander from Richmond Hill, Ont., who broke a streak of seven semifinal losses to even reach the final.
Monday afternoon, he spoke to reporters via conference call about his big win and the remainder of his season.
(Editor’s note: Quotes have been edited for length and clarity.)
On winning his first career title
"I think it's a pretty big step that I took last week. Me and my team have been working towards a title for a couple years now. It's been a big goal of ours and to finally accomplish it is a big weight off the shoulders but it's also a really big step forward and to be honest, I'm just super proud of my team for all the work they put in the last couple years and they never doubted me; same with me. I kept working.
"I knew eventually it was gonna come sooner or later. I knew I struggled a couple times in the semifinals, had some tough draws, some tough matches but stayed pretty patient with that. I knew making the semis is already a huge accomplishment. It's not easy to get to that point of a tournament. So, once I was able to kind of pass that match and beat [Yuichi] Sugita I was really excited to have a chance to lift my first title so I was really, really excited when I was on the court during that final."
CHAMPION! 🏆
— Tennis Canada (@TennisCanada) October 20, 2019
Denis Shapovalov claims his maiden @atptour title with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Filip Krajinovic in the final of the #STHLMOPEN.
Congratlations, @denis_shapo! This is what you get when you #DontStopFighting. pic.twitter.com/pcdwMbNcao
On what he learned about himself as a competitor
"Honestly, I just think it was amazing, first of all, just to be out there in the final. I've struggled; I haven't really gone past that point of the semifinals so I wasn't sure how I was gonna feel being in the finals for the first time in a while in the first time in a finals, but it was great that I approached it in a really excited way, not nervous at all to be honest. I was really happy to go out there and show everybody my game and have a chance to celebrate and play in something as special as an ATP final. I'm really happy that I was able to approach it that way and I think, it's a really big confidence booster for me for the future knowing that, first of all that I have already a title under my belt and I can play more relaxed, but also that I really get up for these matches and I get really excited. "
On what he discovered about his game
"I think as a whole I was able to really play well. Ever since [Rogers Cup in] Montreal I've been playing with the kind of different fire in me, I kind of found that spark within myself again and I've been playing some great tennis and throughout the Asian swing I felt like I was playing really good tennis, just had a little bit of bad luck here and there . . . but I felt like my game was there so I was really excited when I got to Stockholm. . . . I think my whole game was just pretty on. I was serving well, moving really effectively on those courts. Yea, I felt like everything was working for me."
DAVIS CUP: Team announced for November matches
On what comes next for the rising star
"I'm excited. I have three more great weeks ahead of me in tennis, so I'm excited. I feel like my form is there, mentally I feel really fresh to play. I'm just I'm looking forward to it. I have a really tough draw this week [at the Vienna Open] playing [Pablo] Carreño Busta first round. I've lost to him recently but at the same time, I'm feeling really pumped and obviously, having a win behind your back is, I think it's always helpful. I know from the past it's always helped me play better the weeks after so hopefully I can take it far. I'm just gonna try to enjoy the last couple weeks of the year and of course, Davis Cup is something I'm really looking forward to."