November twenty seventh, 2022.
The pictures from that night time are burned into the brains of diehard Canadian tennis followers.
Félix Auger-Aliassime falling on his again after match level. Frank Dancevic main the remainder of the squad charging onto the court docket to deal with him. The trophy (on Auger-Aliassime’s head), the confetti, the champagne, the mass of purple and white fashioned by the Canadian followers within the crowd, it was the end result of 109 years of working in direction of lastly claiming the Davis Cup title.
When Staff Canada walks out onto the match court docket on the AO Area in Manchester on Tuesday for his or her first group stage tie towards Argentina, it will likely be the primary time these six males might be kitted up and able to play collectively since that magical night time in Malaga.
“It’s an ideal feeling having your full crew. That’s enormous to come back right into a tie having your finest gamers,” mentioned Canada captain Dancevic on the crew’s pre-event press convention on Monday. “It’s the identical vitality that we’ve had. We all know this precise crew, we all know we’ve gone all the best way to win. That provides us lots of confidence getting into.”
Canada reached the quarter-finals of their title defence in 2023, however wear-and-tear on the finish of an extended season hampered the squad and so they had been bounced by Finland, one of many three groups standing in Canada’s manner this week within the group stage.
However the Canadians are feeling good as they gear up for one more run on the cup.
“We now have many choices for singles, doubles, doubles groups, switching, so there’s so many choices on this crew which nice. Everyone seems to be wholesome getting into so it’s good,” defined the captain.
Canada might have waited 109 years to win their first title, however they’re effectively positioned to be a powerhouse for years to come back within the competitors. Once they received in 2022, 4 of the 5 members of that crew had been beneath the age of 24.
“We now have an excellent, younger gifted crew,” mentioned Auger-Aliassime on the press convention. “We’ve received already which is sweet. That’s completed, we now have that for all times. However we need to get extra wins like this.”
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Auger-Aliassime quipped in regards to the 34-year-old crew veteran Vasek Pospisil, “We hold him younger. He’s nonetheless acquired 10 years in entrance of him. Nonetheless recent.”
When requested if he had shared any recommendation with the kids, Pospisil mentioned with amusing, “None, I’ve not given them any recommendation.”
He went on to bathe them with reward, saying, “They’re so mature, even from a younger age. They’re very skilled. They’ve superb heads on their shoulders and unbelievable expertise. It’s lucky for me on the tail finish of my profession to be part of such an ideal crew and so they’re going to be a power to cope with for years to come back.”
One of many notable modifications because the 2022 victory is the rise of Gabriel Diallo. The 22-year-old stepped up in the course of the 2023 group stage in Bologna, Italy when Auger-Aliassime was absent and Denis Shapovalov was injured and has since received a pair of ATP Challenger titles and certified for 2 Grand Slam major attracts, just lately making the third spherical of the US Open.
“I used to be capable of construct momentum all through the summer season and end the hard-court swing with a great run on the Open,” mentioned Diallo. “[I have a] good quantity of momentum, I really feel superb about my recreation and I’m excited for a Davis Cup run.”
Shapovalov, who was current on the 2023 group stage however was unable to play as a consequence of a knee damage mentioned of the performances that week of Diallo and Alexis Galarneau, who went 5-0 in Italy, “it was enjoyable to look at the blokes in Bologna final 12 months. It was in a manner robust as a result of I wasn’t capable of play however I used to be type of blissful I wasn’t enjoying as a result of each of the blokes had been enjoying unbelievable. All the guys had been.”
Regardless of not essentially being a powerhouse on paper, Auger-Aliassime is the one Canadian with a rating in double digits, the Canadians have a behavior of stepping up when representing their nation. Diallo, Galarneau, and Pospisil had been all exterior the Prime 150 after they went 8-1 in Bologna final 12 months.
“Each time Frank calls me to be part of the crew it’s all the time an honour to signify Canada,” mentioned Galarneau, who has been part of each Staff Canada Davis Cup tie since his first nomination in March 2022. “For me, who’s on the Challenger tour, these weeks are far more stimulating, extra thrilling. It’s exhausting to say no. To have the ability to signify Canada is unbelievable.”
In 2024, arguably Auger-Aliassime’s finest efficiency was with the maple leaf on his chest when he introduced dwelling a bronze medal from the Paris Olympics. He’s at the moment on a five-match profitable streak (seven if doubles are included) in Davis Cup play courting again to 2022.
Canada will play their first group stage match on Tuesday (Sep. 10) towards Argentina. They’ve a shot at revenge for his or her 2023 quarter-final loss to Finland on Thursday (Sep. 12) earlier than ending towards the hosts Nice Britain on Sunday. The highest two groups within the group advance to November’s Closing 8 in Malaga, the positioning of Canada’s 2022 victory.
