Watch: Nine-Year-Old Shapovalov Has Adorable Encounter with Rafael Nadal
<![CDATA[Same mop top, different decade.]]>
Back to the future: that time @denis_shapo was a mascot for Rafael Nadal in 2008…#CoupeRogers pic.twitter.com/Tl4toivrGh
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 11, 2017Where was 18-year-old Denis Shapovalov nine years ago? Well, he was in Canada, shaking hands with Rafael Nadal at the Rogers Cup. The above handshake is quite a bit different than what we saw last night when Shapovalov became the youngest player to ever reach a Masters 1000 quarterfinal by edging Nadal in straight sets.He's a lot bigger, but the mop top hasn't changed much.Shapovalov himself remembers the episode fondly:
😂😍 that's amazing
— Denis Shapovalov (@denis_shapo) August 11, 2017
That’s why we should always pay attention to those ceremonial pre-match handshakes. They may not seem like much but the stars of tomorrow are often getting exposed to the sport in a formative way. ]]>
Chris Oddo. Chris Oddo is a freelance sportswriter, podcaster, blogger and social media marker who is a lead contributor to Tennisnow.com. He also writes for USOpen.org, Rolandgarros.com, BNPParibasOpen.com, TennisTV.com, WTAtennis.com and the official US Open program.
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