- The Canadian won the title in Los Cabos in 2025 and is returning for the 10th edition of the ATP 250 in hopes of defending it.
Mexico City, July 19, 2026.—Canadian Denis Shapovalov, the 2025 champion of the Mifel Tennis Open by Telcel Oppo, has a bond that ties him to Mexico City: his love for abandoned or abused dogs and cats.
A dog owner in Toronto, Shapo—who is ranked 39th in the ATP Rankings—is a prominent advocate for the Humane Society of Manatee County, and through his Shapo Shelter initiative, he aims to raise awareness that animals in shelters need loving homes.
The Canadian created his own website called ShapoShelter, which helps various shelters around the world promote their animals—both dogs and cats—and works to help them find new homes for the animals.
The site was designed to support the Humane Society of Manatee County, the Humane Society of Greater Miami, and Adopta Un Amigo Para Siempre in Mexico City.
ShapoShelter’s goal is “to help many animals find a home and give them the chance to have a great life.”
Shapovalov will compete in the ATP 250 in Los Cabos, which takes place from July 27 to August 1 in Los Cabos; as last year’s champion, he enters the 2026 tournament as one of the favorites.
After breaking into the Top 30 in February of this year, the Canadian fell out of that range and dropped to No. 41 by the end of June. His highest ranking was No. 10 in September 2020.
Due to these ups and downs, Shapo has a 9-14 record this season and a career record of 242-208.
He has won four titles. In 2025, he won the Dallas Open, an ATP 500 event, defeating Norway’s Casper Ruud in the final, and he also claimed the trophy in Los Cabos by beating American Aleksandar Kovacevic.
In addition, he won titles in Belgrade in 2024 and Stockholm in 2023, all on hard courts.