Denis Shapovalov drops 4-word reaction to his Mexican Open snap's startling resemblance to an owl

Denis Shapovalov recently asked a cheeky four-word question after he came across a picture of himself from the ongoing 2025 Mexican Open. The picture featured the Canadian in an elegant stance right after hitting his signature one-handed backhand.

Shapovalov, a former ATP No. 10, is enjoying something of a resurgence at the moment. After starting the season with underwhelming displays at the Adelaide International and then at the Australian Open, he seems to have rediscovered his finest form. The Canadian won the Dallas Open title earlier this month, and is currently taking part in the Mexican Open, where he has won both his first and second-round matches.

On Wednesday, February 26, Denis Shapovalov took to X (formerly Twitter) and shared two pictures. The first one featured a majestic white owl with its wings both spread out high and wide, and the one beside it showed Shapovalov himself, in an uncannily similar stance after hitting his signature jumping one-handed backhand during his first-round win at the Mexican Open against American teen prodigy Nishesh Basavareddy.

Shapovalov captioned his post:

"Who did it better?? 🦉 @AbiertoTelcel"

Shapovalov's latest victory at the 2025 Mexican Open came against young American Alex Michelsen. The Canadian registered a comfortable 6-4, 6-3 win on the back of a strong second-serve display and his ability to convert four out of six break points. Shapovalov, currently ranked No. 32 in singles on the ATP Tour, is set to face yet another American in Marcos Giron next in the Mexican Open quarterfinals.

In 2019, soon after winning his maiden ATP Tour-level title at the Stockholm Open, Shapovalov laid bare the inspiration behind his one-handed backhand.

"Tried to hit my backhand in like Roger Federer" - Denis Shapovalov in 2019

Roger Federer (left) and Denis Shapovalov (right) at the 2019 Miami Open (Source: Getty)

Soon after his title triumph at the 2019 Stockholm Open, Denis Shapovalov laid bare his love for the legendary Roger Federer and how he decided to change to a one-handed backhand inspired by the Swiss.

"[I started at] 6 years old. It was just natural for me to let go of my two-handed backhand. So my parents just said go with one hand, and obviously Roger [Federer] was a big idol of mine. So I really tried to hit my backhand in like him," Shapovalov said.

Last year, Shapovalov recalled how facing Federer felt like, saying:

"Federer makes you feel like a junior player, literally. I faced him in the Miami semifinals after defeating good players like Tiafoe or Rublev... and I felt like a junior on the court. It was impressive."

The 2019 Miami Open semifinal was the only competitive ATP Tour-level match where Shapovalov locked horns with his idol.