Rivard: What does 2023 hold for Canada? Part 2

From left to proper: Kayla Cross, 17, Marina Stakusic, 18, Victoria Mboko, 16, Cadence Brace, 17.  

Collectively at a coaching camp in Boca Raton, Florida, from November 22 to December 22, these fab 4 are a very good phase of the potential way forward for Canadian tennis within the medium time period.  

Who’s acquired the very best probabilities of breaking by way of? 

That’s one thing Sylvain Bruneau, who heads ladies’s professional tennis at Tennis Canada, gained’t touch upon. He doesn’t wish to increase expectations or create a clumsy state of affairs inside the group.  

Bruneau spent a number of days in Florida to evaluate the gamers’ efforts and oversee the method. He’s fast to additionally point out gamers like Mia Kupres, Ana Grubor, Annabelle Xu, Naomi Xu, Bianca Fernandez (Leylah’s sister) and Isabelle Boulais, who’re all between the ages of 16 and 18. Add Ariana Arsenault, 20, to the combination, and there’s a formidable pool of up-and-comers. 

One factor’s for positive: they gained’t be giving Bianca Andreescu and Leylah Fernandez a run for his or her cash within the High 100 in 2023. Two Grand Slam finalists in as a few years and at such a younger age stay a uncommon incidence—one thing that’s tough to attain and repeat on at the moment’s WTA Tour. Raducanu, Pliskova, Pavlyuchenkova, Brady and Krejcikova are all reminders of that. And that’s solely contemplating the key tournaments in 2020 and 2021. 

“That’s why I’m in Florida, doing the sort of coaching camp. I don’t wish to title names, however out of the 4 ladies who’re right here, I feel no less than one has the potential to do one thing actually nice,” he affirmed. 

However perhaps not at 19 years previous like Bianca and Leylah. 

“There’s no rush,” he mentioned. “What’s vital at 17, 18, 19 or 20 is to maintain placing your recreation collectively and progressing. And, above all, actually loving your sport and staying in a wholesome way of thinking whereas taking part in it. That’s what’s most vital. It’s not a race. I’m extra enthusiastic about longevity.”  

Sylvain Bruneau didn’t journey to Florida alone. He was there with coaches Elena Bovina, Simon Larose and Nathalie Tauziat, bodily coach François Ramamonjisoa and efficiency psychologist Dana Sinclair (left to proper with the 4 gamers). 

The large time for Diallo and Galarneau?

About 300 kilometres north, Guillaume Marx was entrance and centre in Orlando at tournaments that includes a few of Canada’s younger skills.  

Other than Auger-Aliassime, Shapovalov and Pospisil, who closed out 2022 within the High 100, will one other Canadian hit the large time subsequent season? The 2 most definitely candidates are 21-year-old Gabriel Diallo and 23-year-old Alexis Galarneau, after all. 

“It’s a tall order, nevertheless it’s potential. We only recently came upon that Gabriel’s determined to skip his final 12 months on the College of Kentucky to play on the Tour because the World No.229. Along with his nice leads to 2022, Alexis Galarneau, who’s at the moment ranked No.210, ought to be capable to capitalize on all his expertise and hopefully get nearer to the High 100,” mentioned Marx.

Together with qualifiers, Galarneau performed 67 matches in 2022, totally on the Challenger circuit, for a 39–28 report. However his very honourable losses to Botic Van de Zandschulp (7-5, 7-6 [9]) at Davis Cup and to veteran Grigor Dimitrov on the Nationwide Financial institution Open (6-4, 7-5) confirmed the expectations. 

“As a result of they’re close to the High 200, they’ll each be taking part in quite a lot of Challenger tournaments. They’ll additionally be capable to entry the qualifying rounds of larger occasions, and that’s a possibility to rise shortly within the rankings,” mentioned the coach. 

To not point out that Galarneau and Diallo gained an amazing quantity of expertise and motivation from competing alongside Félix, Denis and Vasek at Davis Cup final November. 

That’s the instance of collective success Marx emphasizes to spur on the 2 Quebecers and all of the gamers who’ll observe. “This 12 months, we’ll make certain the Davis Cup travels throughout Canada, so the general public—and particularly younger folks—will change into conscious of the achievement. From an academic standpoint, that’s big for us, and it’s one thing youngsters can dream about. Our problem is to get that on the market.” 

Who’s subsequent in line? 

Along with Diallo and Galarneau, there’s 20-year-old Liam Draxl (No.526), 21-year-old Justin Boulais (No.555) and 21-year-old Taha Baadi (No.849), who play within the NCAA.

“These three want to complete college, and we’ll attempt to assist them subsequent summer season like we did in 2022 with Diallo, particularly at Canadian tournaments. There’s little doubt it’ll take them longer, however they’ll have our assist.  

Final fall, regardless of being enrolled in college, all of them competed in skilled tournaments. They performed within the Challenger occasions in Calgary and Drummondville and within the M25 Saint-Augustin in Québec, the place Boulais was a finalist. 

Draxl discovered his technique to two semis and a last (M15) in Mexico and the Dominican Republic, and Baadi reached the quarters of the M15 match in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.