25 May,2022 08:10 AM IST | Paris | AFP
Denis Shapovalov during his defeat to Holger Rune
Canada's Denis Shapovalov said the decision to strip Wimbledon of ranking points placed him under extra pressure in his first-round loss at the French Open on Tuesday.
The 14th seed was defeated in straight sets by Danish teenager Holger Rune, leaving him with just two wins in four trips to Roland Garros. Shapovalov pulled out of last year's tournament in Paris with a shoulder injury, but returned at Wimbledon and reached the semi-finals before losing to eventual champion Novak Djokovic.
"It's difficult right now. I think it's a little bit added pressure on me, knowing that losing a lot of points and not able to defend," Shapovalov said following his 3-6, 1-6, 6-7 (4/7) loss to Rune.
"I knew going into this tournament the last couple days that it's going to be very important for me to go deep here, otherwise it's going to be awhile until I can gain some points in New York."
World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev coasted into the second round, beating Argentina's Facundo Bagnis 6-2, 6-2, 6-2.
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