“Great Chance for Him”: Denis Shapovalov Backs Rafael Nadal to Equal Roger Federer’s Record at French Open 2020

Published 09/19/2020, 2:10 AM EDT

World No.14 Denis Shapovalov firmly believes that Rafael Nadal has a significant chance to win the French Open 2020. The Canadian is a win away from reaching the semifinals of the Italian Open 2020.

Shapovalov will face the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in the quarterfinals inside Foro Italico. The duo has played twice against each other, with Dimitrov winning both the encounters.

Recently, during the post-match conference, Shapovalov revealed his take on Rafael Nadal’s legacy. Notably, Rafa is poised to equal Roger Federer‘s Grand Slam record at the French Open.

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The 19-time Grand Slam champion is just one major short of Federer’s tally. Moreover, he heads to Roland Garros as the favorite, a title he has won a record twelve times. Shapovalov revealed that Nadal, Federer, and Novak Djokovic, will all be considered as the greatest of all time.

“I think it’s super interesting as a fan of the sport to see these three guys battling it out for Grand Slam, for weeks of No. 1. It’s very exciting for everyone,” said Shapovalov during the post-match conference after winning the second round.

“I think as legacy stands, no matter who has the most Grand Slams, who has the weeks at No. 1, those three guys are going to be all remembered as the GOATs, as the greatest of all time,” added Shapovalov.

The 21-year-old Shapovalov emphasized that despite the Big 3’s dominance, the young players are pushing them hard. He added that players like Daniil Medvedev and Dominic Thiem are close to beating the Big 3 at the big stages.

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Shapovalov believes Rafael Nadal has a splendid chance

Shapovalov claimed that he will try to stop the Big 3 to win his maiden Grand Slam title. Talking about Nadal’s chances at Roland Garros, Shapovalov contended that Nadal has never come so close to equalling Federer’s record.

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“Yeah, no, I think it’s a great chance for him to tie Roger. He’s never been in that situation before that he’s come so close to tying Roger,” said Shapovalov.

Interestingly, if Shapovalov wins his quarterfinal match, he is likely to face World No.2 Rafael Nadal at the penultimate stage. Nadal is chasing history by trying to win the Italian Open a record tenth time.

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Kshitij Tayal is a tennis author at EssentiallySports. Having played district-level tennis competitions, Kshitij is also a tenured journalist of the sport with over four years of experience. At EssentiallySports, he pens down some thought-provoking pieces on players and tournaments across the ATP and WTA.

“Great Chance for Him”: Denis Shapovalov Backs Rafael Nadal to Equal Roger Federer’s Record at French Open 2020

Shapovalov believes Rafael Nadal has a splendid chance

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