Yardbarker
x

Novak Djokovic paid tribute to opponent Denis Shapovalov after the Canadian departed their Wimbledon semi-final in tears.

Shapovalov was playing in only his 10th ever match at Wimbledon, and gave an superb account of himself despite the straight sets defeat to Djokovic.

After the match, Shapovalov cut an emotional figure as he was given a huge ovation by the crowd on centre court as left the arena.

Djokovic had certainly taken note of his performance too, and made sure to acknowledge it in his on-court interview.

“The scoreline doesn’t say enough about Denis’s performance and match,’ Djokovic said.

“He was serving for the first set, probably the better player for most of the second set and had many chances.

“I’d like to give him a big round of applause for everything he has done today and also these few weeks.

“This has been his first semi-final of a Grand Slam. You could see he was emotional, we will see a lot of him in the future, he is a great player.”

This article first appeared on Tennisbuzz and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

+

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.