Denis Shapovalov's return to home soil ended in disappointment Tuesday when the Canadian retired from his first-round match at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers. The 27-year-old struggled with an ankle injury that seemed to only worsen as the match progressed, eventually retiring at 6-4, 4-6, 0-3 against Zachary Svajda.
The Canadian was aiming to build upon his momentum from last week’s final appearance at the ATP 250 in Los Cabos.
“I’ve been struggling with an ankle injury since the final,” Shapovalov said in his post-match press conference. “[It] seems I sprained it or did something during the final in Los Cabos. So it's been pretty painful the last few days, and definitely not easy with the travel and everything.
“But of course, playing in Canada, I wanted to make my best effort to play in front of the fans. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get past the finish line.”
The No. 43 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, Shapovalov fractured a rib at Queen's Club and also retired from his Wimbledon opener in June before returning to competition last week in Mexico. After dropping the second set to Svajda, the lefty called a medical timeout and went off court for treatment. Shapovalov battled through visible discomfort.
“I felt like other parts of my body were starting to go,” said Shapovalov. “I started having muscle tension and problems in my hamstring, in my quad. I started to feel my knee. It was just a combination of things that got pretty bad from overcompensating from the ankle.”
The four-time ATP Tour titlist spoke candidly about his rollercoaster 2026 season.
“It's been very tricky. It's been an annoying year,” Shapovalov said. “I've been building good momentum, playing well in Indian Wells. Miami was tough. And then injuries kind of started from thereafter.
“Even weeks like Munich, where I was kind of building some momentum, were interrupted by pains and aches. And it's just been kind of one thing after another it feels like. So it's frustrating. I played Wimbledon with a fractured rib. I played here with a swollen ankle. And I'm still competing. I'm still close to these guys. Last week in Los Cabos, I was feeling good, and I managed to get a good result out of it, obviously. So the key for me is to try to take a bit more time and be healthy.”
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