"You’ve got to have a plan B if you get punched in the face a few times": Former Wimbledon champion wants to work with 'soft' Denis Shapovalov

Thursday, 18 June 2026 at 02:30

Denis Shapovalov has been called out by former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash with the Canadian being called too soft following his straight sets defeat to Alex de Minaur at Queen's Club.

The Canadian burst onto the scene at the Canadian Open back in 2017 beating Rafael Nadal en route and was seen as having huge potential but it hasn't really panned out.

He has become a bit of a middle of the road kind of player but not one that certainly troubles the top of the sport. One Grand Slam semi-final and a high of World No.10 certainly could be better.

Cash offers to coach ailing Canadian

Now aged 27, Shapovalov's window of opportunity might be going and he lost 6-4, 6-1. He had Janko Tipsarovic, Mikael Tillstrom among others recently coach him. But now he has gone to his wife Mirjam Bjorklund, former player in order to keep it in house.

But Cash offered to coach him and had some choice words about his perceived soft game. He said that when his plan A doesn't work, he has nothing to go off.

Shapovalov has been poor for some time.

“We know his plan A. It’s smashing serves and hitting spectacular shots but when things aren’t going well, what do you do?

“You’ve got to have a plan B if you get punched in the face a few times. His plan B is more of plan A. He would be the most frustrating player… I would love to sit down with him and work with him for a bit and bring out some toughness.

“When you say he has all the shots, he actually doesn’t have all the shots. He has big swings but he doesn’t have that median shot that is good under pressure but not a complete defensive shot.

“Tennis is a game of controlled aggression. You teeter on that, sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less.”

Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.

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