Denis Shapovalov was forced to retire from his opening-round match at the Canadian Open, leaving the home favourite 'in a lot of pain' and fearful for his US Open participation.
Match against Svajda
The world No. 43 had taken the first set against Zachary Svajda with a single breakpoint, but his ankle injury worsened and he could not continue.
Shapovalov entered the ATP 1000 event carrying an ankle problem sustained during last week's Los Cabos final in Mexico. He admitted he had considered withdrawing but decided to play for the home fans.
Pain and regret
Speaking after his retirement, Shapovalov said: "I've been dealing with this since the finals of Los Cabos. So, yeah, I've been in a lot of pain."
He added: "I felt like I was hitting really well yesterday and this morning in the warmup, but, yeah, it was a question mark. Even today, during the warmup, we weren't sure [whether to pull out]. I was trying to feel how the ankle was feeling. Like I said, I wanted to make an effort for the fans here. It's a very special tournament for me. So I wanted to go out there and give it my best effort. Yeah, and unfortunately, it was just tough. The body just got worse and the body kept telling me no."
US Open fears
The retirement could have a knock-on effect, and Shapovalov admitted he is scared that his decision to play in his homeland might impact the next couple of tournaments. Despite that, he still hopes to compete at the Cincinnati Open, which starts next week.
Asked if he is worried about the repercussions, Canada's No. 1 replied: "Definitely with how bad the body got today, it's probably not great that I stepped on court today. Yeah. But, again, it was a call that I made, you know, with all the feedback that I was given from my team, from everyone. I decided I wanted to make an effort, see how the ankle is.
"We'll have to reassess. Now I need to take time off, heal everything that felt bad today, and hopefully I'll be ready for Cincy. If not, then, yeah, we have to assess it then."
