Shapovalov retires – Denis Shapovalov’s Wimbledon opener ended in a shoulder injury retirement against Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain, extending a nightmare stretch that also saw him exit in the first round at the Australian Open.
Denis Shapovalov couldn’t finish a single set at Wimbledon on Monday.
The Canadian retired with a shoulder injury after the second set of his first-round match against Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta. Shapovalov played one more point to lose the second-set tiebreak after suffering the injury while trying to chase down the ball. He then stepped away while trailing 6-3, 7-6 (7).
It was another early exit at a Grand Slam for Shapovalov. The Wimbledon retirement came as the second Grand Slam in a row where he went out in the first round, following his loss in the second round of the Australian Open.
By the time his afternoon ended, Shapovalov had 14 aces. Still, before the shoulder problem took over, he landed just 53 per cent of his first serves. The match also delivered something Carreno Busta had long been waiting for: it was his first-ever win at the All England Club.
For Shapovalov, the injury is only the latest hit in a tough stretch. He’s now 9-14 on the year, and his ranking has dropped to No. 41.
Shapovalov, from Richmond Hill, Ont., was one of four Canadians scheduled to play on the first day of Wimbledon. Bianca Andreescu, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Leylah Fernandez were also on the slate, while Canada’s Gabriel Diallo is set to open on Tuesday.
The sequence on grass was brutal: strong enough to serve 14 aces, close enough to reach a second-set tiebreak, and then—when the chase down the ball turned into injury—everything stopped. Carreno Busta took advantage and moved on, while Shapovalov’s season’s early exits keep piling up.
Denis Shapovalov Wimbledon shoulder injury Pablo Carreno Busta Richmond Hill All England Club Bianca Andreescu Felix Auger-Aliassime Leylah Fernandez Gabriel Diallo Grand Slam