The Richmond Hill tennis star retired from his first-round match after an on-court injury against Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta.
By Staff Writer
Richmond Hill’s Denis Shapovalov had his Wimbledon run cut short Monday after retiring from his first-round match with a shoulder injury.
Shapovalov, listed by Tennis Canada as a Richmond Hill resident, was facing Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta when the match ended after the second set. Carreno Busta was leading 6-3, 7-6 (7) when Shapovalov retired.
According to Tennis Canada, Shapovalov took an on-court medical timeout late in the second-set tiebreak while trailing 8-7. Play resumed, but Carreno Busta quickly won the next point to close out the set, and Shapovalov then ended the match.
Sportsnet reported that Shapovalov appeared to run into a fence and injure his left shoulder during the first-round match.
The early exit was a disappointing one for the 27-year-old Canadian, who reached the Wimbledon semifinals in 2021 and has been ranked as high as No. 10 in the world. Tennis Canada listed him as the 41st-ranked player entering the match and noted that he has now lost seven of his past eight matches.
The match had shown signs of turning more competitive before the injury. After losing the first set 6-3, Shapovalov found more rhythm on serve in the second, hitting nine aces and taking a 5-4 lead. But Carreno Busta held to force a tiebreak, and Shapovalov’s injury ended the Richmond Hillian’s tournament before a third set could begin.
Carreno Busta, ranked No. 71 by the ATP Tour, moves on to the second round at Wimbledon for the first time since 2019.