It’s a celebration that came after 109 years of waiting.
In late November, Canada won the Davis Cup for the first time in its history – the most prestigious trophy in men’s team tennis.
Check out all of Team Canada’s best moments of 2022
That win came more than a century after Canada reached the finals in their first Davis Cup appearance in 1913.
It was also four years since Canada finally made it back to the Davis Cup finals, meeting a strong home field advantage from Spain.
2022, Felix Auger-AliassimeDenis Shapovalov and Vasek Pospisil determined not to experience that second-place disappointment again.
The second time was the good
Earlier this year, Canada’s chances of winning the Davis Cup weren’t too unlikely – it was downright impossible.
With Auger-Aliassime, Shapovalov and Pospisil all unavailable for the qualifying round in March, Canada were seemingly knocked out of the so-called World Cup of Tennis by a loss to the Netherlands.
However, when holders Russia were excluded from the finals scheduled for the autumn after invading Ukraine, the door was opened again for Canada. As the top-ranked losers in qualifying, Canada entered the tournament as a visiting team.
The Canadians didn’t let this second chance pass them by.
READ: Auger-Aliassime drives Canada to Davis Cup Finals qualifiers
In September’s group stage, Auger-Aliassime and Pospisil clinched the victories they needed to advance to the knockout stages against South Korea and Spain. Shapovalov joined them in Malaga, Spain, where this trio beat Germany in the quarterfinals. A semi-final win over Italy followed, setting the stage for the ultimate duel against Australia.
After failing in his singles matches in the first two playoff encounters, Shapovalov helped Canada get off to a good start in the finals, clinching an easy straight-set win.
Auger-Aliassime, who had a fabulous run in the fall to become Canada’s Davis Cup Most Valuable Player, sparked the long-awaited celebrations by also winning in straight sets.
READ : Canada defeats Australia to win its first Davis Cup title
These two were young when they won the Junior Davis Cup with Canada in 2015, which raises great expectations for the future. Just seven years later, they traded the small trophy for a much larger one.
Pospisil’s contribution cannot and should not be underestimated. It has been a mainstay for Canada since its Davis Cup debut in 2008. This was his 27th appearance in Malaga and his presence as a veteran has been instrumental in doubles games.
In fact, it was the second team title Canada has won in 2022. In early January, just before the Australian Open, Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov were in the lead Canada to win the ATP Cup.
The Incredible Snail Aliassime
As the last page of the 2021 calendar turned, Auger-Aliassime seemed poised to climb the ladder of world rankings. He reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and then won his first ATP singles title of his career in Rotterdam in February. Although he couldn’t quite keep up the summer, he recovered well in the fall.
In the group stage of the Davis Cup Finals, he defeated world number one, Spain’s Carlos Alcarez. A week later, he scored his first win against Novak Djokovic as he helped Team World win the Laver Cup.
READ : Félix Auger-Aliassime wins second career title on the ATP Tour
READ : Félix Auger-Aliassime wins the second title in as many weeks
READ : Three titles in three weeks for Félix Auger-Aliassime
Then he had his most incredible month of October, winning three tournaments in a row and taking single table titles in Florence, Antwerp and Basel. At his next tournament in Paris, he reached the semifinals, the first time he had qualified for the last four of a Masters 1000 event since 2019. In the end, Auger-Aliassime won 16 straight matches to climb to sixth in the world, his highest ATP ranking to date.
In November, he reached the ATP Finals for the first time and became the first Canadian to qualify for the season-ending tournament since 2016. Despite being eliminated at the end of the round robin, he still beat Rafael Nadal for the first time in his career.
More wins for women
The year that is coming to an end was not just about men.
March, Leylah Fernandez won the second WTA tournament of his career and claimed the title in Monterrey for the second straight year. She also played a key role in helping Canada reach the finals of the Billie Jean King Cup, winning both of her singles qualifiers in April.
It should also be mentioned Gabriela Dabrowskithe Canadian who shows perhaps the greatest consistency in her level of play: she has won three WTA doubles titles this year, with two different partners.
With tennis enjoying one of the shortest off-seasons in the sporting world, it will soon be time to cheer on our Canadian tennis stars again as we turn the page of the calendar to make way for 2023.
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