PARIS: Canadian rising star Denis Shapovalov said he “wants to be beating guys” like Novak Djokovic and that “it doesn’t stop here” after losing to the world number one in Sunday’s Paris Masters final.
Shapovalov failed to reproduce the form he had shown earlier in the week during wins over seeded players Fabio Fognini, Alexander Zverev and Gael Monfils as he fell to a 6-3, 6-4 defeat in his maiden Masters final.
But the 20-year-old, who will break into the world’s top 15 next week, vowed to come back stronger next year.
“It’s an unbelievable week for me, but it doesn’t stop here,” he said. “It’s back to the court, back to practising.
“I want to be beating guys like Novak so I have to improve, get better, find a way to return better against his serve. And hopefully I can do even better next year.”
Shapovalov, who started the week ranked 28th, has enjoyed a strong finish to a topsy-turvy season which featured his maiden ATP title in Stockholm a fortnight ago.
He is only the second Canadian man to reach a Masters final, after former Paris, Canadian Open and Indian Wells runner-up Milos Raonic.
“It’s a sport. There’s going to be ups and downs. And it’s not going to be finals of a Masters every week,” added Shapovalov.
“So it’s normal to have some dips and rises. You know, I’m still learning about my game, too, improving every day.”
