Shapovalov wants to ignite a tennis boom in Canada just like Wiggins and others did in basketball

Adam Zagoria

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Shapovalov wants to ignite a tennis boom in Canada just like Wiggins and others did in basketball image

NEW YORK -- Dennis Shapovalov wants to do for Canadian tennis what Andrew Wiggins and other Canadian basketball stars have done for their sport: Ignite a boom.

As basketball has grown in popularity in Canada to rival hockey, Wiggins and other young Canadian ballers have become role models for new generations of kids.

"I met Andrew once," Shapovalov, 19, said Monday at the U.S. Open after his first-round victory over fellow Canadian teenager, 18-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime. "I don't know him too well. But obviously, there's a couple of good Canadian basketball players up-and-coming, playing really well. It's the same kind of in tennis.

"But I feel like a lot more kids still play basketball in Canada than they do tennis. It's a little bit more common to see basketball players come up. What me and Felix have, it's truly incredible. Like I said, it's truly making the sport bigger in our country. Hopefully we just continue to do that."

[NOT FTR] Andrew Wiggins, Denis Shapovalov, Marcus Stroman, Connor McDavid(Photo courtesy BioSteel)

Canada has produced back-to-back No. 1 picks in the NBA Draft in Anthony Bennett (2013) and Wiggins (2014), while current Duke freshman star R.J. Barrett is the projected No. 1 pick in 2019. Last year, there were 11 Canadians on opening-night NBA rosters, more than any other nation aside from the U.S.

Whether Canada can ever produce a world No. 1 in tennis remains uncertain, but there is some talent on the rise. At 19, Shapovalov is one of only two teenagers in the Top 100 in the world. Fellow Canadians Milos Raonic, 27, and Vasek Pospisil, 28, are also ranked in the Top 100: Raonic at 24 and Pospisil at 88.

All three won their first-round matches on Monday at the Open.

"It's definitely huge," Shapovalov said. "I remember growing up watching Milos, Vasek, them playing Davis Cup, supporting our country, just playing tournaments in general. It gives you that belief that you can make it as a player coming from Canada. It's not impossible that if you work hard enough, you can be like these guys.

"I truly feel like obviously Milos and Vasek have paved the way. Now guys like me and Felix are coming up. It's really shown that it really is possible to be a Canadian tennis player and make it as a pro athlete in Canada."

Shapovalov says he's seen the direct impact on young kids in Canada.

"I've seen so many more kids picking up racquets, parents and fans getting into the sport," he said. "I read tweets from fans saying, I don't normally watch tennis, but I love watching these guys playing, it's really gotten me involved with the sport. I really feel it's grown in the past couple years in the country. Hopefully it just keeps growing."

Although Auger-Aliassime had to retire against Shapovalov with an elevated heartbeat in very hot and humid conditions, some tennis experts believe the 6-foot-4, 185-pound Canadian has a bigger upside than Shapovalov or his compatriots.

"People do think 'FAA' has a bigger upside than [Shapovalov]," ESPN's Brad Gilbert said on air. "He's bigger and he's a better mover. So I actually think that fuels [Shapovalov]. I actually think FAA has more upside."

Still, Shapovalov remains alive for another run at the Open after reaching the fourth round last year as a qualifier. He faces Italian Andreas Seppi in the second round and could meet Wimbledon and U.S. Open runner-up Kevin Anderson in the third.

Four-time U.S. Open champ John McEnroe said on ESPN that Shapovalov, a fellow left-hander with long hair reminiscent of a young Bjorn Borg or Vitas Gerulaitis, "reminds me of that energy that I thought I brought to the table."

Meantime, Grand Slam champions like Roger Federer and Juan Martin del Potro believe Shapovalov and 20-year-old Greek sensation Stefanos Tsitsipas are the future of tennis.

"They are so good, and they are the present, but they have a big future, as well," said the 6-foot-6 del Potro, the 2009 Open champ who probably would have made a good basketball player. "They have big potential to keep going up in the rankings and they are doing great season already. So I think we are spending tournaments with the future, and they are trying to take it away for the top positions in the ranking. But I think it will happen very soon."

Of course, while guys like Shapovalov may be the future, the present is still dominated by the "Big Three" of Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, who have won a combined 50 Grand Slam titles, including the last seven in a row. They remain the three Las Vegas favorites to win the Open.

"It looks like the next generation has broken through even more so now," Federer said. "They still need the win of a slam, the win of a Masters 1000, whatever you want to call it, they still need to make that step, but they're definitely knocking on that door, and there is some exciting talent around.

"U.S. Open, I'm sure, is going to bring some energy to them, as well, wanting to really make the breakthrough here. That's anyway how I felt way back when, coming to New York. I wanted to break through here or at Wimbledon, but here was maybe the cooler place, I don't know, especially when you're young and fearless."

And when that breakthrough comes, Shapovalov hopes he can further ignite the tennis boom in Canada.

Adam Zagoria