Some people are calling it the biggest victory in Canadian tennis history.
Nobody gave 18-year-old Denis Shapovalov any chance to beat Rafael Nadal in Montreal on Thursday night.
The Canadian is ranked 143rd in the world, 141 spots lower than the number two ranked Nadal, who was the tournament’s top seed.
Nadal also has 13 years, 73 titles, 847 wins and nearly $86 million dollars in career earnings on Shapovalov, who was only in the Roger’s Cup field because he’s Canadian.
He didn’t seem to care, however, as he overcame a first set loss to shock Nadal 3-6, 6-4, 7-6, dropping to the ground and covering his face after the winning shot.
What a talent. What a win. What a night.
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 11, 2017
The courtside view of @denis_shapo's sensational win over Rafael Nadal... #CoupeRogers pic.twitter.com/4q1LcFs1WO
“It just felt really surreal, you know, I couldn’t believe it actually happened,” Shapovalov told the media after the win. “It’s tough to explain the emotions that were going through my head at the moment, but it was just pure happiness.”
Shapovalov, who had Wayne Gretzky and Penny Oleksiak in the crowd cheering him on, now moves on to the quarter-finals where he’ll face Adrian Mannarino of France on Friday.
Regardless of his results on Friday and beyond, the teenager will leapfrog into the top 100 of the men’s ATP rankings, which will earn him a berth in a lot more tournaments.
