Canadian tennis star, Denis Shapovalov, has been striving on the tour for a long time. A few years ago, he was one of the top guns aiming to make it big in the tennis world, before his career went off the rails. Ranked as high as No. 10 once, he has fallen to No. 137 now. During his peak days, Shapovalov had the strong support of his then-coach, Mikhail Youzhny. Their partnership ended in 2020, which also coincided with Shapovalov’s downfall. Recently, Youzhny was struck by a personal tragedy.

Youzhny himself was a top tennis star during his playing days. However, he called time on his illustrious career in 2018 and subsequently took to coaching. Here’s what happened in his personal life.

Mikhail Youzhny, the ex-coach of Denis Shapovalov, going through tough times

Earlier this year, the Russian tennis star’s wife, Yulia, passed away suddenly. It left the tennis world saddened and tributes began to flow from past legends as well as the current crop of players. Although they their kept personal life low-key, Yulia attended his matches sometimes.

She passed away in Dubai ahead of the Australian Open after suffering from a long illness, with her condition worsening with each passing day. They had three children together, sons Maxim and Igor, and a young daughter.

Youzhny’s wife, Yulia, was pictured at the tennis star’s matches, including in Melbourne for the Australian Open. His career lasted nearly two decades, becoming one of Russia’s top tennis players.

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Meanwhile, Youzhny significantly influenced Shapovalov’s career. The latter reached his peak while Youzhny was still his coach. However, their relationship soured and the partnership ended in 2020.

Shapovalov details his split with Youzhny

Following their separation, the Canadian star once revealed why their bond didn’t last long. Youzhny’s critical approach toward Shapovalov’s game wasn’t taken well by the latter, who eventually announced the split.

Shapovalov shared, “It was after the season, a couple of weeks after Stockholm. I talked to him. It was very mutual. We still text and we continue to have a good relationship, but it just wasn’t working. Both of us weren’t achieving what we wanted to. Unfortunately, that’s the business of tennis sometimes. Just had to go a different direction.”

While Shapovalov continues to strive on the tour, he’ll be seen in action later today. The Canadian star takes on Hugo Gaston in Montpellier. It’ll be interesting to see if he can dig deep in this tournament.

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