Denis Shapovalov criticized for regularly making the same mistake as he loses to Jannik Sinner, ‘he has to stop it’

The ATP number one is now a four-time Grand Slam champion, with three of those successes having arrived on hard courts.

Sinner has impressed John McEnroe of late, with the Italian now into the fourth round of the US Open once more.

He takes on Alexander Bublik in the last 16 in New York, having come from behind to defeat Shapovalov 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.

Denis Shapovalov criticized as he loses to Jannik Sinner at the US Open

The Canadian’s frustrations were clear on court as his opponent began to take control, with Shapovalov constantly looking towards his box as well as offering them a sarcastic thumbs up.

Sharing his verdict on the actions, former professional Tim Henman commented on Sky Sports Tennis: “Shapovalov would have come out on top in best-of-three because he played brilliant tennis.

READ MORE: Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev are in disagreement over the conditions at the US Open this year

“To see a guy with a one-handed backhand go toe-to-toe with Sinner from the back of the court and to see someone hit that hard and consistently was massively impressive but when Sinner was up against it and he was not having it all his own way he didn’t panic.

“Was there an element of frustration? Yeah, a little bit. But when Shapovalov got frustrated then there was dialogue back and forth because he was sarcastic with the thumbs up and that’s when he let himself down and Sinner took advantage with five games in a row.”

Former player Ryan Harrison added: “That has been the story on Shapo. There has been some injury concerns but there has also been good Shapovalov and then you see the Shapo who does that to the box.

“That is the most frustrating thing because you love the good Shapo and what he can do. And you go you have been around a little bit now and think you have got to learn from your mistakes out there.

“You have to look at this tape if you’re Shapo and say this has happened a few times throughout his career when he was in great form and playing so well.

“It’s so obvious. It’s not like he had a John McEnroe or someone who could come out and play better. This is someone who as soon as he starts doing this stuff it drops right off a cliff. So no question he has to stop it.”

Denis Shapovalov’s ATP titles as he suffers US Open exit

Shapovalov has enjoyed a fantastic career so far, which has included reaching as high as number 10 in the world rankings.

The 26-year-old Canadian has since slipped to world number 29, but he does boast two ATP titles in 2025 alone.

They represent half of his career titles, while Shapovalov has also lost five finals, including the 2019 ATP Masters 1000 Paris to Novak Djokovic.

And while there was plenty of frustration against Sinner, he can take plenty of confidence from his display, particularly in the first set.