Shapovalov seeks taste of Centre Court against battle-scarred idol
Murray
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[July 02, 2021]
(Reuters) - Denis Shapovalov
lifted the Wimbledon boys' trophy when Andy Murray reclaimed the
men's crown in 2016 and the Canadian will realise his childhood
dream on Friday when he makes his Centre Court debut against the
home favourite in the third round.
While grass has always been his favourite surface, Shapovalov has so
far struggled to make any lasting impression on turf. His job has
also been made difficult by a pesky pollen allergy, which flares up
on the lush green courts.
But the 22-year-old showed significant improvement on his run to the
semi-finals at Queen's Club before breaching the second-round
barrier for the first time in four appearances at the All England
Club.
"Definitely, I think it's a great moment for me. It's going to be my
first time on Centre Court at Wimbledon, so it's super exciting for
me, my team and my career," Shapovalov, seeded 10th, told reporters.
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"With every year I've felt myself get better on this surface, and I
do still think there is a lot of room to grow.
"It's definitely a match I grew up wanting - to play against Andy in
the spotlight like this."
While Shapovalov has been enjoying a two-day rest after receiving a
second-round walkover from Pablo Andujar, Murray could use a bit
more time to recharge his batteries having spent almost 7-1/2 hours
on court during his opening two matches.
Murray was centre stage in another night of drama on Wednesday,
roaring back from two sets to one down to beat Oscar Otte and
admitted he felt "sharp pain" in his groin, an injury which ruled
him out of the claycourt swing.
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![](../images/070221pics/sports15.jpg)
Canada's Denis Shapovalov in action
during his first round match against Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber
REUTERS/Paul Childs
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As much as he was scouting his
challenger, Shapovalov could not help but cheer for the 34-year-old,
who turned back the clock in front of a raucous home crowd.
"(As) a fan of Andy's, to see him back and moving so well,
especially those last two sets, how he turned it around," Shapovalov
said. "It felt like he was the player that he was a couple of years
back. It was really exciting to see."
In another transatlantic clash on Centre Court, Briton Dan Evans is
targeting a place in the second week of the tournament when he takes
on American Sebastian Korda.
World number one Novak Djokovic, chasing a sixth Wimbledon title and
third in a row, will make a rare appearance on Court One against
unseeded American Denis Kudla.
While a mass exodus of top seeds continues in the women's draw, with
six of the top 10 knocked out, second seed Aryna Sabalenka is hoping
to avoid an upset against Colombian teenager Maria Camila Osorio
Serrano.
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(Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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