NCAA March Madness was in the process of determining their two finalists. Several Canadian teams were playing important games and as they jockeyed for NHL playoff positions. The revamped Blue Jays were coming off a big victory against their divisional rival Boston Red Sox. The Canadian Women’s team were involved in a quest for World Championship Gold on home soil. Under the cover of all of the news the biggest Canadian sporting news story was overshadowed and underrated.
Tennis has never really been a premier sport in Canada. While the Rogers Cup often attracts major tennis stars it is not considered one of the bigger events of the tennis tour. However, all of this changed with the introduction of one single superstar. That star would be Milos Raonic, the 22 year old who has revolutionized Canadian tennis. The world number 15 has been the difference maker for the program and has inspired growth at all levels that will be felt by generations to come.
But Tennis Canada has finally made its competitive breakthrough, and it has come at this year’s Davis Cup. The Canadian national tennis team had just come off a massive shock of the world number one in Spain and were pitted against the Italians in the Quarterfinals. A win would put the team in the Semi-Finals for the first time ever, unless you consider a completely different 1913 tournament to matter. This was a historic opportunity for Canada, and they did not let it go to waste.
Raonic drew most of the limited press the event received from mainstream Canadian media. It was his picture on the majority of the articles, his face that got most of the air time. This was the best expected, he is the heart of Canadian tennis. The young man clinched victory for Canada for the third straight time with a singles victory over Italian Andreas Seppi and also defeated Fabio Fognini to grab 2 out of 3 canadian wins. Canada won the Quarterfinal 3-1 in front of a thrilled crowd in Vancouver.
However, it was the Saturday doubles victory that was truly the most interesting and dramatic portion of an incredible Canadian story. Canada’s duo for the match consisted of the rather interesting pairing of Vasek Pospisil and Canadian tennis legend Daniel Nestor. The pair provided the team with their only loss during the previous round against Spain but would be counted on if Canada wanted to advance to the Semi-Finals.
But, as with any good heroic tale, the odds were stacked against the pair. Nestor is 40 and nearing the end of his career whether he likes it or not. He is still a premier tennis player, especially in doubles, but is not in the form that won him a Gold medal for Canada in doubles tennis at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Furthermore, he was troubled by a knee injury before the match and quite nearly was unable to compete.
Vasek Pospisil, a 22 year old who is just starting to really make his presence felt on the international tour. But it was an injury that truly opened the doors as Frank Dancevic, one of the heros against Spain, was unable to play due to injury. This gave Pospisil the chance to open the Quarterfinal with Italy against heavy-weight Andreas Seppi. Ranking wise it was a complete mismatch. Pospisil is on the outside looking in of the world’s top 100, Seppi is the world number 18.
Sadly, after taking a two sets to nothing lead over the heavily favoured Seppi, Pospisil would give up the next three to lose the best of five match 3-2. It seemed like it would be a tough set back for the young man, and one that wouldn’t help him physically or mentally for his doubles match the next day. On top of this he was still recovering from a career stalling bought of Mono. Neither he nor Nestor should have been in any physical shape or had the energy to compete at this level.
But the Italians were in for a surprise and Canada looked energetic and threatening in the early going. They cruised to a 2 sets to nothing lead and looked primed to take the match, possibly in straight sets. Then Italy was able to do something that should have doomed Canada when they extended the match. Winning the next two sets Italy appeared to steal from Canada both their energy and the momentum of the game.
Counting Canada out, however, would be completely wrong. On this day the pairing of Pospisil and Nestor simply wouldn’t be denied. The fifth and deciding set was by far the best tennis Canada has seen in this Davis Cup campaign. Both teams demonstrated a number of skills and incredible shots in a game that was separated by only a few plays. The underlying question remained the same: how did Canada have the energy to remain in competition with Italy?
But Canada really only had one scare in the fifth set and otherwise looked the better of the two teams, giving themselves break point opportunity after break point opportunity. They finally accomplished it, with both Nestor and Pospisil playing premier tennis. From that point they never looked back, winning a game that lasted 4 hours and 30 minutes with a 5th set score of 15-13. Yes, a 40 year old with an injured knee and a 22 year old who had played the day before and was recovering from mono.
It was a heroic Canadian sports story that got lost amid the other headlines, an effort that clearly should not have been overlooked. The rowdy crowd in Vancouver that night will certainly not forget the exhibition that was put on display and therefore neither should this country. It was just as compelling is any hockey semi-final, although clearly the two sports have no comparison in terms of demand.
When the story was covered it was essentially Raonic who got all the headlines and popularity. He deserved all of it of course, he did after all get two of the three wins Canada required to advance to the Semi-Finals. But it was Nestor and Pospisil who were the true heroes of the tie, and it was their victory that was the inspiration.
This Canadian Davis Cup team is not only a talented group but also one that is heroic on many levels, a fact that has been discovered by Spain, Italy and soon Serbia. Canada needs to realize this heroism as well.
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Main photo credit: Morisawa81 via photopin cc
