There is a reason we fall in love with ‘golden boys/girls’. For most of us, they make us nostalgic, take us back to the time when we had the zeal to conquer the world. For others, they represent hope, hope that even people unheard of can conquer the world.

Denis Shapovalov’s meteoric rise in the tennis circuit has left everyone dumfounded. A lanky Canadian lad who ‘shot’ to fame for absolutely hammering the chair umpire during a Davis Cup match, has suddenly been touted as the ‘nextgen superstar’.

Having suffered bouts of depression after that horrific incident during the Davis Cup, Shapovalov admitted that it helped him mature as a player and human being. He then revealed that he and the chair umpire(Arnaud Gabas) had become good friends, something that had helped him tremendously while trying to overcome the incident.

“He messages me here and there and I message him,” said Shapovalov.

“He is an extremely nice guy. He has really helped me get through it because he could have been mean about it – but he is a great gentleman, a great guy.” he added.

Shapovalov was devastated after the suspension, guilty of letting his country down and frustrated at having lost his temper in such a crude, crude way.