GUEST EXPERT. Last week I had the opportunity to attend all of Canada’s Davis Cup matches in Malaga, Spain with my son and wife. What a historic victory for Canada! This is the country’s first win since the competition was founded in 1900. Prior to this win, the country’s best result was losing to Spain in the 2019 final.

Team Canada’s 2022 edition was particularly solid with Félix Auger-Aliassime at the helm, today ranked 6th in the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals), Dennis Shapovalov, 18th hitter in the world, Vacek Pospisil, a Davis Cup veteran and doubles specialist, and two rising stars from Quebec, Alexis Galarneau and Gabriel Diallo.

For the 2022 edition, we felt that the Canadian team’s players were in Malaga to win and not just do well. The performance of Félix Auger-Aliassime, who won each of his three individual matches during the week, was particularly brilliant. Rarely have I seen a player who was so self-assured and in control of his means during a tournament, especially when he had to face situations where the pressure was very high. Twice, in the quarterfinals against Germany and then in the semifinals against Italy, Félix had to win his match to keep the country in contention.

How can such a success be explained?

In the mid-1970s, the Swede Björn Borg developed into one of the best tennis players in the world. Between 1974 and 1981 he won 11 Grand Slam titles, a record at the time.

However, Borg’s example catapulted the small Nordic country of Sweden to the top of world tennis. Thanks to Borg, a large number of players from this country have entered the world rankings. Do you remember Mats Wilander, Stefan Edberg and Anders Jarryd? In 1985 the country had five players among the Top 20 of the ATP Rankings: Mats Wilander (#3), Anders Jarryd (#6), Joakim Nystrom (#9), Stefan Edberg (#12) and Henrik Sundstrom (#16). Not bad for a country that then had fewer than 8.5 million people.

I have a feeling that in the coming years we could see a similar phenomenon in Canada as we did in Sweden in the 1980s: the success of players like Milos Raonic, who is currently sidelined through injury but has reached No. 1. 3 in the world in 2016, has had a very positive impact on the tennis world in Canada. We’ve been observing a certain enthusiasm for tennis in the country for a number of years.

More and more young people are choosing tennis over hockey. In addition, young people who play sports see the success of their elders and believe in their chances of succeeding on the international stage. In addition, companies are more likely to invest in the development of the sport. All of these things will, I believe, contribute to Canada’s success on the international tennis scene for many years to come.

In Quebec, in the past, we tended to doubt our collective potential. It was commonly said to be “born for a small bread”. The success of tennis in recent years refutes this statement and we are beginning to believe more and more in our chances of success, all areas together. This applies to tennis and other sports. This also applies to culture – many local filmmakers, musicians and writers have gone on to have exceptional international careers.

This is also true in the corporate world. We have world-class companies here. I’m thinking in particular of companies like Couche-Tard, CGI and WSP. As with tennis, I hope the success of these Quebec corporate gems will inspire other entrepreneurs and business leaders to pursue their dreams of becoming world-class players in the years to come.

Canada’s extraordinary Davis Cup win confirms that nothing can stop us if we put in the effort and discipline and start believing!

Philippe LeBlanc, CFA

Chief Investment Officer at COTE 100