Denis Shapovalov cheers for fiancé Mirjam Bjorklund as the Swede reaches final round of US Open qualifying

Canadian tennis star Denis Shapovalov may not be playing in the US Open this year due to a knee injury, but he is still showing his support for his fiancé and fellow player Mirjam Bjorklund.

The 24-year-old was recently spotted in the stands during Bjorklund’s second-round qualifying match against Leolia Jeanjean on Thursday (August 24), where the Swede won in straight sets.

Shapovalov and Bjorklund have been dating since 2019 and announced their engagement on social media last month. This led to messages of congratulations from many tennis stars, including Gael Monfils, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Coco Gauff.

Tennis Channel shared some pictures from Thursday's match on X (formerly Twitter).

"Mirjam Björklund advances to the final round of #USOpen qualifying! With fiancé Denis Shapovalov supporting," the post read.

Bjorklund, who reached the quarterfinals in Spain this year, is one win away from making her US Open main draw debut. The 25-year-old will face Ankita Raina in the final round of qualifying on Friday.

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Denis Shapovalov hasn’t played a single match since Wimbledon due to a knee injury

Denis Shapovalov at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships

Denis Shapovalov recently pulled out of the US Open this year as he is still recovering from his knee injury.

The Canadian star last played at Wimbledon, where he made it to the round of 16 before falling 3-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 to Roman Safiullin. The 24-year-old skipped the Citi Open and the Canadian Open because of his knee problem and recently confirmed his absence from the US Open.

Shapovalov took to Instagram to announce his withdrawal on Wednesday, August 16. The Canadian said that he did everything he could to be ready for the New York Slam, but his knee required more time to heal.

"Despite doing everything possible to be 100% healthy in time for @usopen, my knee needs more time and I sadly have to withdraw. That grand slam energy, especially in NYC, is unlike anything else and I’m really going to miss playing in front of the amazing fans there this year," Shapovalov wrote on Instagram.

This will be the first time Shapovalov will skip the US Open and only the second time he will miss a Grand Slam since his debut at Wimbledon in 2017.

Denis Shapovalov has a 13-13 record this season, with his best result being the fourth round of the Wimbledon Championships. He also reached the last eight of the Adelaide International 1 before losing 6-3, 6-4 to eventual winner Novak Djokovic.