Canadian ATP star Denis Shapovalov is winning his off-court battles. While his seventh appearance at the Grand Slam impressed everyone, Shapovalov spills the beans on his source of motivation. Who knows he might fulfill his goal, which he couldn’t in 2021!  Awaiting to marry his long-term girlfriend and now fiancee Mirjam Bjorklund next year, this ATP star explains how his Swedish partner helped him to stick to his goal with an inspirational example.

Shapovalov is aiming for a deep run at the 2024 Wimbledon as he moves to the Grand Slam’s third round after defeating Germany’s Daniel Altmaier. Sitting down with Tennis Channel’s hosts Steve Weissman and Martina Navratilova post-victory, he spoke about his fiancée. asked by Navratilova. The answer came easily to him as his fiancée has been a pillar of support in his life.

“I think Mirjam has helped me a lot both on and off court. I think, you know, she’s definitely got her mental game on the court down pack, so I’m learning from her a little bit on that aspect, and yeah she helps me a lot just, you know, with everything I need in life not just on the court so it’s definitely great,” said the Canadian ATP star.

Shapovalov’s fiancee is also a professional tennis player from Sweden. Not only did she reach WTA rank 123 in June 2022, but she also bagged 10 singles and two doubles in ITF titles. Shapovalov’s talented fiancee has also won a WTA challenger. The two met in 2019 and began dating the same year.

After spending four years together, Shapovalov and Mirjam Bjorklund shared the news of their engagement on Instagram last year. The couple shared a photo on Instagram where Shapovalov was on his knee to pop the question to Bjorklund in Sweden’s Bastad.

While the Canadian ATP star spoke about how his fiancee has been helping him to keep his mind focused, he also encouraged Bjorklund the same way on her return from an injury last year.

Denis Shapovalov dropped an encouraging message for his fiancée’s return to the pro tour after injury

Bjorklund suffered a foot and neck injury during last year’s US Open, which forced her to remain off the court for eight months. In April, this Swedish WTA star announced her return on her official Instagram. “8 months, one footinjury & one neck surgery later🤗 We’re back!🤍,” she wrote. Her enthusiastic tennis player boyfriend showered her love on Bjorklund’s progress and commented, “Let’s goooo ❤️💪🏼.” 

Not just encouragement, Shapovalov also spoke about how Mirjam Bjorklund helped him understand some burning issues of the professional tennis scene. “I used to be naïve about tennis. When I started out, I kind of assumed that male and female pros were treated the same way. It just made sense, you know? I mean, why would it be any different?” said Shapovalov. After that, he added how his fiancee enlightened him about the “gender gap” that exists in the sport.

Denis Shapovalov’s heartwarming confession about his fiancée’s support in his life brought a lot of smiles to everyone’s face. It showed that behind a successful man, there is truly a woman who never fails to trust his abilities. Following Bjorklund’s encouragement, it seems like Shapovalov might surprise all with his game as he is prepping up to face off against America’s Ben Shelton.