The 2022 edition of the Canadian team was particularly solid with, at its head, Félix Auger-Aliassime, ranked 6th player at the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals), Dennis Shapovalov, 18th racket in the world, Vacek Pospisil, a Davis Cup veteran and doubles specialist, as well as two rising stars from Quebec, Alexis Galarneau and Gabriel Diallo.
For the 2022 edition, we felt that the Canadian players were in Malaga to win and not just to do well. The performance of Félix Auger-Aliassime, who won each of his three singles matches during the week, was particularly brilliant. Rarely have I seen a player so confident and in control of his means throughout a tournament, especially since he had to face situations where the pressure was very strong. Twice, against Germany in the quarter-finals and then in the semi-finals against Italy, Félix had to win his match in order to keep the country in the race.
Why such a success?
In the mid-1970s, Swedish player Bjorn Borg emerged as one of the best tennis players in the world. Between 1974 and 1981, he won 11 Grand Slam titles, a record at the time.
The example of Borg catapulted the small Nordic country, Sweden, to the head of world tennis. Thanks to Borg, a large number of players from the country have broken through the world rankings. Do you remember Mats Wilander, Stefan Edberg, and Anders Jarryd? In 1985, the country had five players in the top 20 of the ATP rankings: Mats Wilander (#3), Anders Jarryd (#6), Joakim Nystrom (#9), Stefan Edberg (#12) and Henrik Sundstrom (#16). Not so bad for a country which, at the time, had less than 8.5 million inhabitants.
I have the feeling that in the years to come, we could witness a phenomenon in Canada similar to that experienced by Sweden in the 1980s. The success of players such as Milos Raonic, currently on the sidelines due to injury, but who reached number three in the world in 2016, is having a very positive effect on the world of tennis in Canada. For several years now we have been witnessing a certain enthusiasm for tennis in the country. More young people are opting for tennis instead of hockey. In addition, young people who practice the sport see the success of their elders and come to believe in their chances of succeeding on the international scene. In addition, companies are more inclined to invest in the development of the sport. All of these things I believe will contribute to Canada’s success on the international tennis scene for many years to come.
In Quebec, we have tended in the past to doubt our collective potential. It was commonly said “to be content with second best”. The success of tennis in recent years belies this adage and we are beginning to believe more and more collectively in our chances of success, all areas combined. This is true for tennis and other sports. This is true in the cultural field – many local filmmakers, musicians and writers have had extraordinary international careers.
This is just as true in the corporate world. We have world-class companies here. I am thinking in particular of companies such as Couche-Tard, CGI and WSP. Like tennis, I hope that the success of these Quebec corporate flagships will inspire our entrepreneurs and leaders of other companies to pursue their dream of becoming world-class players in the years to come.
Canada’s extraordinary victory at the Davis Cup confirms that, when we put in the effort and the discipline, and when we start believing, nothing can stop us!
