Think about recognizing Eugenie Bouchard and Félix Auger-Aliassime on the tennis membership simply seven days aside!
Not trivial, however not completely extraordinary both, since I play on courts shared with the Nationwide Tennis Centre offered by Rogers. Nonetheless, I didn’t count on to cross paths with both of them as I made my solution to my pleasant matches on February 24 and March 3.
Let’s begin with Genie. I’ll come again to Félix later.
I received in contact with Sylvain Bruneau to seek out out extra. The pinnacle of girls’s professional tennis confirmed that he’d lately spent a while with the previous Billie Jean King Cup staff member. “I couldn’t practice together with her in late February as a result of I had different commitments, however I coordinated her bodily coaching and tennis classes to make issues simpler,” he mentioned. “I frolicked together with her when she was right here through the holidays. We’ve identified one another for a very long time, and I’m all the time glad to seek out coaching time together with her in Montréal or share some recommendation each time I can.”
Bruneau had solely good issues to say and talked about how nice it was to reunite with Genie contemplating the pandemic and all kinds of job-related circumstances: “After I was again on the court docket together with her, I remembered how a lot I loved the time we spent collectively. Eugenie has all the time been a pleasure to work with, and that hasn’t modified. She’s very open to feedback and suggestions and needs to grasp your ideas and recommendation. As a coach, you admire that.”
He famous that Eugenie all the time appears to relish her time on the Nationwide Tennis Centre, the place all of it started for her. He ended with a number of phrases on how beneficiant she is: “It might appear incidental, however, moreover the truth that she’s nonetheless very motivated, she finds time to present again. For instance, she hit a number of balls with my 12-year-old daughter Raphaëlle. And it wasn’t for my profit. Eugenie’s similar to that.”
Sylvain revealed that the rehab for her shoulder damage goes properly, and Eugenie herself offered tangible proof of that on March 5 on the Champions Sequence Tennis Tour starring lively and retired professionals in Thousand Oaks, California.
Her first match after 12 months away from the sport was an enormous success, to say the least: she dismantled 2020 AO champion Sofia Kenin 6-1. In doubles, she and Tommy Haas overpowered Kenin and Sam Querrey 6-3.
“I performed higher than I anticipated” Bouchard mentioned after her win in singles. “We’re each very chilly out right here and it’s arduous to serve generally with the wind. However I simply tried to hit the pictures I’ve been doing in follow since I’ve been coaching for my comeback.” Her shock and delight had been palpable: “I really feel like I’ve simply been smiling all afternoon, like my cheeks damage. I’m simply so glad to be again on the market. It was so enjoyable at the moment.”
In fact, her WTA rating has taken a beating. She’s at the moment No. 1,356. However only a 12 months in the past, she clawed her solution to No.116 when she made it to the ultimate in Guadalajara, the place she misplaced to a red-hot Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain (6-2, 7-5).
Her rating could to not her liking, however her reputation on social media stays sky-high.
Eugenie is among the many prime 10 most adopted tennis gamers on Instagram (no.7 with 2.1 million followers) and Twitter (no.8 with 1.6 million followers). And Fb? 1.5 million!
On February 25, the Montrealer documented her twenty eighth birthday celebrations—together with a Barbie birthday cake—at stylish and stylish Nobu Malibu with buddies and her boyfriend Mason Rudolph, quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Félix will get a jump-start
As I discussed earlier, Félix Auger-Aliassime was additionally on the town for a number of days.
Although he stays a uncommon sighting on the Nationwide Tennis Centre, Montréal will all the time be his house, so it’s not shocking that he’d cease by.
On March 3, he educated with Jaden Weekes—a fellow Montrealer and considered one of our most good rising stars—beneath the watchful eye of coach Sam Aliassime.
It was some hard-hitting tennis, consider me!
I felt privileged to have the ability to watch them, only a few metres from the World No.9. Afterwards, Félix made his solution to the health club upstairs. He grabbed a leap rope and his cellphone and posted this video to Twitter to show to his physio he might do 100 double jumps.
Head over to TikTok to catch the warm-up:
The following time you see Félix, he’ll seemingly be on a court docket in sunny California, within the spectacular setting of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, the place he’ll be working arduous to maintain his dizzying momentum going.
Leylah prolongs her reign in Monterrey
Leylah Fernandez is again on monitor.
After a false begin in Melbourne, the World No.21 has rekindled together with her successful methods. And never simply anyplace: on the website of her very first skilled title, only a 12 months later.
Which means she was in a position to defend all of the factors she gained there 12 months in the past.
After a three-month break, the Montrealer didn’t have the begin to the season she hoped for.
She misplaced to Iga Swiatek (6-1, 6-2) within the second spherical in Adelaide after which once more to No.133 Madison Inglis in Melbourne.
After taking six weeks to regroup, the energetic younger ace appears to have recaptured the vibe she had going final 12 months in north-eastern Mexico.
And, on prime of that, Fernandez turned the primary feminine Canadian participant within the Open-Period to defend a title in a WTA match. Milos Raonic is the all-time Canadian chief, successful the identical match 3 years in a row (2011-13).
In Monterrey, she ousted Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (No.88), Qinwen Zheng (No.77), Qiang Wang (No.116), Beatriz Haddad Maia (No.69) and Camila Osorio (No.44) in an epic three-hour final. Her triumph in Mexico additionally gave her extra media visibility that was actually appreciated by her new attire sponsor, lululemon.
In case Leylah needs to pop in lululemon HQ in Vancouver for fast go to, they’re solely a 15-minute drive from the Pacific Coliseum, the place she and Crew Canada will likely be going head-to-head towards Latvia at Billie Jean King Cup on April 15 and 16. Becoming a member of her on the showdown—and making the matches all of the extra thrilling for native followers and Canadian supporters alike—is hometown hero Rebecca Marino, who had a fully unbelievable begin to 2022.
On the identical day Leylah was topped in Mexico, Rebecca won her first title of the year at the Arcadia Women’s Pro Open in California, dropping only one set in five matches.
From No.312 in January 2021, Rebecca switched issues as much as No.123 and has a 15-4 report to date this season.
Alexis Galarneau joins the squad
Only a day after his twenty third birthday, Alexis Galarneau received a fairly nice present: the prospect to play Dutch no.1 and World No.48 Botic van de Zandschulp at Davis Cup within the Hague.
Though Brayden Schnur (No.226) might have logically taken on van de Zandschulp, it was Galarneau who was referred to as as much as get the ball rolling in qualifying play for a shot on the Finals subsequent fall.
And his Davis Cup début didn’t disappoint. Removed from it.
One would possibly even say he took everybody unexpectedly, quite a bit like his captain Frank Dancevic did again in 2013 (extra on that later).
You already understand how issues panned out: the Netherlands gained 4-0, relegating Canada to the World Group I Play-Offs in September.
Whereas Canada was the underdog, it’s necessary to acknowledge how stable Galarneau was. The boldness Dancevic positioned in him was wholly warranted. Up towards a troublesome opponent and member of the High 50, Alexis demonstrated his quickness, robust defence and creativity.
Botic van de Zandschulp was in it to win it. In 13 months, he’s risen from No.159 to No.48—that’s 111 spots—and was competing on house turf in entrance of a crowd decked out within the customary Dutch orange.
However excellent eventualities like that may set off nerves and doubt, particularly when going through a lower-ranked participant you simply can’t lose to. Van de Zandschulp’s eight double faults revealed how edgy he actually was. And so did his physique language, even on the successful level.
He’d suffered a scare, felt the concern of becoming a member of the ranks of the numerous athletes who’ve been taken unexpectedly by a competitor who wasn’t speculated to win. Neither the Dutch participant nor coach appeared to have loved the match, however Frank Dancevic grinned ear to ear, glad to see his protégé accomplish that properly.
That mentioned, and whatever the end result, I doubt Alexis will ever neglect his first Davis Cup look or the truth that he delivered and located his place on the staff.
Identical to Frank
Climb into the tennis time machine and journey all the best way again to February 1, 2013. Canada vs. Spain in Davis Cup competitors in Vancouver.
World No.15 Milos Raonic was our nation’s famous person. He fulfilled his mission by successful two singles matches, however the remaining duels in singles and doubles appeared to be in Spain’s favour.
Martin Laurendeau was staff captain, and the highest-ranking gamers had been Vasek Pospisil (No.132) and Frank Dancevic (No.166). Maybe to protect Pospisil for doubles play with Daniel Nestor, Laurendeau made the considerably shocking resolution to have Frank enter the fray towards No.34 Marcel Granollers.
Photograph : bc.CTVnews.ca
Evidently, nobody thought Dancevic would dominate, particularly not by a surreal rating like 6-1, 6-2, 6-2. Relive the superb second right here.
Electronic mail: privard@tenniscanada.com
Twitter: @paul6rivard
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