Denis Shapovalov calls Roger Federer's 2009 win over Roddick one of his most memorable Wimbledon matches, says he has a grass allergy

Denis Shapovalov recently talked about his grasscourt ambitions and memories, particularly with reference to Wimbledon, and mentioned Roger Federer in several instances. Shapovalov also revealed he is allergic to grass and that he experiences physical discomfort when he plays on the surface.

Denis Shapovalov is currently participating in the MercedesCup at Stuttgart, where he is the top seed. Roger Federer, meanwhile, will soon to Halle this weekend to launch his title defense at the Noventi Open.

When asked by ATP to pick his most memorable matches from Wimbledon, Denis Shapovalov claimed he has many Roger Federer matches on the list. The Canadian then picked Federer's 2009 final against Andy Roddick, where the Swiss won a marathon fifth set to claim a record-breaking 15th Major title, as the standout.

"A lot of Roger Federer’s matches," Shapovalov said. "Him against Andy Roddick when he beat the record for Grand Slams [moving to 15 in 2009], and I remember watching the match and it was such great tennis."

Denis Shapovalov was then asked to explain his allergic reactions to grass. In response, the 22-year-old mentioned how grass and pollen block his nasal passage and make his eyes itchy. He did clarify, however, that the issues crop up after the end of his matches rather than during them.

"Yeah, I have been dying the last two days (in Stuttgart), it has been brutal," Shapovalov said. "Usually, this is the time of year I have allergies, so for sure it is difficult as my nose gets stuffed, and my eyes get itchy. It is brutal. Normally during the match, I will be fine. It is after in the evening and with the pollen too, it just gets to you, but I still love it, so it is a love-hate relationship."

The Canadian was also asked to pick his preferred tactic between serve-and-volley and chip-and-charge. Shapovalov went with the former option, pointing out that he is not as good as Roger Federer when it comes to slicing the ball and charging up to the net.

"Serve and volley," Shapovalov said. "I do it more often, but I do appreciate a good chip and charge, I just don’t think I am as good as that, I will leave that to Roger. I'll just let rip from the return games and then serve and volley."

Denis Shapovalov went on to reveal that his dream opponents on grass are Bjorn Borg and Pete Sampras, while also expressing hope of facing Roger Federer some day.

"Maybe Bjorn Borg or Pete Sampras, just to feel what it’s like to play against them, especially on that surface where they’ve had so much success," Denis Shapovalov said. "Roger as well, but hopefully I can still get that chance."

Denis Shapovalov builds the perfect grasscourt player, picks Roger Federer's volley

Roger Federer volleying

Denis Shapovalov then assembled his ideal grasscourt player. He picked Milos Raonic's serve, Rafael Nadal's forehand, Roger Federer's volley and Novak Djokovic's return, amongst other shots.

"Milos Raonic on the serve, his serve is a joke, especially on the grass, his kick would be crazy," the Canadian said. "Forehand Rafael Nadal. That heavy spin is hard to handle, and I want to save Roger for the volley. The return has got to be Novak Djokovic, I don't need to go further. Backhand, Andy Murray, it is so compact. Slice would be Feliciano Lopez, it is incredible."