The 2022 ATP 500 ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament, also known as the Rotterdam Open, saw its first big upset on 8th February. 5th seeded Denis Shapovalov was stunned by qualifier Jiri Lehecka in the first round.

The Canadian lost the match as he blamed the court surface for his not-so-optimum game. Not being able to hit the ball correctly, the current World No. 12 looked frustrated during and after the match. 

Notably, Shapovalov has previously played twice in Rotterdam; In 2019, where he reached the quarter-finals, and in 2020, where he faced a 1st round exit. 

“Every bounce is different”: Denis Shapovalov

After Shapovalov lost the first set 6-4, he could not step up his game in the second and was broken in his first service game itself. The Canadian made a comeback by breaking Lehecka’s serve. However, Jiri Lehecka, with nothing to lose, raised his game, breaking Shapovalov again. He went on to win the match 6-4, 6-4. 

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Hitting a side out, on 2-4 and 30-30, Shapovalov was agitated against the surface. He claimed that every bounce on the court is different. “Every single bounce is different… who makes a court like this,” he said. 

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His post-match comments did give fans more clarity on what went down during the game. He explained his struggle on the court, saying, “I felt like I was mistiming a lot. I’ve struggled here the last times I’ve played. Not sure this a great surface for me – didn’t feel comfortable, felt like I was kind of guessing every shot.“

Denis in his previous appearances at Rotterdam 

Denis Shapovalov first appeared in the Rotterdam Open in 2019. He started his tournament campaign as the 10th seed. Winning the opening 2 rounds with ease, he went on to face wildcard Stan Wawrinka in the quarterfinals. Both the players played some high-quality tennis. However, experience outplayed the youngster as Wawrinka went on to beat Shapovalov 6-4,7-6.

He re-appeared at the Rotterdam Ahoy stadium in 2020, this time as the 8th seed. However, unlike the previous year, this time he was beaten by Grigor Dimitrov 6-3,7-6 in the opening round. 

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