Canadian tennis star Denis Shapovalov has reportedly split with coach Jamie Delgado and is now working full time with Peter Polansky, per Stephen Boughton.
Peter Polanski confirmed to me that he is now the head coach for 🇨🇦 Shapovalov and that Jamie Delgado is no longer working with them.
— Stephen Boughton (@theslicetennis) May 18, 2022
After the 2021 season ended, Shapovalov figured out he needed a change of scenery so he split with Mikhail Youzhny and hired Delgado. Delgado, who was working with three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray for a long time, split with the Briton following the end of the 2021 season.
Five months later, Shapovalov decided to end their partnership as he has turned to fellow compatriot Polansky. Polansky, 33, played two Challenger events in February and also competed at a Futures event in February. In March, Polansky represented Canada during their Davis Cuo qualitying tie versus the Netherlands as he competed in the doubles rubber.
Shapovalov and Polansky have a good relationship and this likely means that Polansky is ready to fully commit to coaching career.
Shapovalov respects Polansky
Last month, Shapovalov spoke to TSN and opened up how he feels about Polansky.
“We (him and Polansky) have grown a friendship being on the same Davis Cup team,” Shapovalov told TSN last month before Madrid. “I always thought of him as a really smart player and really smart person.”
Meanwhile, Shapovalov exited Geneva on Wednesday. Third-seeded Shapovalov was hoping to reach back-to-back Geneva finals but his hopes of making a deep run at the Swiss event ended on Wednesday following a three-set loss to Ilya Ivashka.
Shapovalov entered the match as the favorite but Ivashka proved to be a tricky opponent as the Belarusian beat the Canadian 6-4 6-7 (2) 6-3. It hasn’t been a particularly great clay season for Shapovalov, who is 4-3 on clay this year.
Previously, Shapovalov suffered a second round loss in Madrid and reached the Rome quarterfinal. Shapovalov now heads to the French Open, where he has never made it past the second round. It remains to be seen if Shapovalov can reach the third round at Roland Garros for the first time in his career.
