Rivard: Auger-Aliassime shines in Davis Cup leadership role

Captain Félix.

It has a pleasant ring to it.

And it’s absolutely deserved.

Like a ship grasp, Félix Auger-Aliassime set the instance by successful and made the proper choices on the proper time to guide his crew to the promised land and declare the holy grail.

The silver punchbowl.

Davis Cup.

For the primary time in its historical past, Canada raised the trophy handed to the winners of the oldest, and probably the most prestigious, sporting occasions on the earth. A 122-year-old event.

Canada first competed in Davis Cup in 1913 and spent 106 years vying for a ultimate berth, which lastly got here in 2019. However substantiating the nation’s declare as a critical contender took solely three extra years.

As for the crew’s precise captain, Frank Dancevic, he received’t thoughts, since he have to be very, very glad to have a gifted warrior like Félix on the squad—a participant whose performances earned him his standing as a pacesetter.

Sure, Captain Félix. Similar to his predecessors Captain Milos (Raonic) and Captain Daniel (Nestor), whose main wins in singles and doubles put Canada on the Davis Cup map and in the end opened the door to the previous World Group.

What’s extra, Auger-Aliassime contributed to each parts of Davis Cup competitors: singles and doubles.

Canadians like Daniel Nestor, Grant Connell and Sebastien Lareau confirmed nice versatility, and that versatility mixed with key wins and titles make a captain.

In Valencia, Félix’s singles and doubles play helped Canada qualify, even with out Shapovalov. And in Malaga, he turned the tide within the ties towards Germany and Italy, which Canada each received 2-1.

Then, regardless of being much less dominant than standard on his serve, Félix discovered a approach to expunge a string of break factors and hit eloquent winners to shut out prolonged rallies towards the ever-dangerous Alex de Minaur.

The mark of a champion.

The mark of a Captain Canada!

On prime of all the things, Félix emphasised how his teammates have been a supply of encouragement, spending six or eight hours on the sidelines cheering on each level and offering motivation when issues obtained dicey. All of them put their egos apart for the larger good.

That’s the mark of a fantastic chief.

A 22-year-old chief.

Degree up

Félix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov made Canada one of many few nations to double down in Davis Cup with the junior and professional titles.

That’s two in seven years.

The homegrown heroes, who helped Canada develop into the sixteenth nation to etch its title on the hulking trophy, had already put their stamp on the 2015 Junior Davis Cup launched by the Worldwide Tennis Federation in 1985. Led by Oded Jacob and with Benjamin Sigouin in tow, Denis and Félix took Madrid by storm.

Again on the Iberian Peninsula seven years later, they did it again. That’s one thing solely 10 different nations have managed to do.

Davis Cup titles

Although the youthful of the 2 led the search, Shapovalov’s contribution is essential.

His win over Thanasi Kokkinakis within the first singles match within the tie towards Australia offered invaluable assist, because it gave his teammate extra wiggle room within the activity forward. It was additionally a consolation contemplating Shapo’s earlier singles bouts.

After his first two outings, Denis should have felt fairly depressing. His three-set losses to Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany and Lorenzo Sonego of Italy have been lengthy and arduous battles wherein his serve (19 double faults) and his failure to capitalize on alternatives (3 breaks in 21 probabilities) sunk him.

Nonetheless, he will be particularly happy with his doubles match with Pospisil towards Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz of Germany, who have been beforehand undefeated at Davis Cup.

And, after all, that take-down of Kokkinakis.

Two first-rate causes to actually revel within the triumph he had such a hand in securing.

FAANTASTIC

The expression well-deserved relaxation very a lot applies to Félix Auger-Aliassime.

After 11 months of competitors culminating in a FAAntastic document, the Canadian can take a break in snowy Montréal or Québec or on a golden seaside within the tropics.

Auger-Aliassime took house 4 singles titles from 5 finals, made an look on the ATP Finals and closed out the yr as World No.6.

His document in crew tennis is equally sensible, since he led the 4 crews he performed on to victory.

There was the ATP Cup in January and Laver Cup in September, the place he overpowered Novak Djokovic and kicked off a comeback that carried Staff World to the title for the primary time because the event’s inception.

And there have been two episodes of Davis Cup, in Valencia and Malaga, the place he earned the title of Captain Canada.

Félix has develop into probably the most terrifying servers on the Tour. Developed slowly however certainly via arduous work, his serve helped him rack up 890 aces (in 81 ATP matches) this previous season. That’s solely 5 lower than ace chief John Isner. Averaging 11 aces per match, Auger-Aliassime saved 67% of the break factors he confronted (sixth within the ATP).

He wrapped issues up by main the nation to the last word conquest: Davis Cup.

And as was usually the case throughout this unforgettable season, Sam Aliassime was entrance and centre. What a touching second to see Félix run up to hug his dad after the win.

What Frank knew

The captain of the Canadian crew dispatched to the Davis Cup Finals was assured from the get-go.

He’d made that very clear in an interview he gave before heading off to Spain recounted right here on the day earlier than the tie towards Germany.

The title actually does say all of it.

Along with the usual rhetoric of a pacesetter who’ll accept nothing lower than the crown, Dancevic emphasised the depth of his roster.

Whereas he named all 5 gamers although Gabriel Diallo and Alexis Galarneau in all probability wouldn’t must stroll out onto the court docket, it was clear he was referring to the opposite three, all members of the Prime 100.

Even when one in all our two singles stars have been injured, Vasek Pospisil actually had sufficient expertise and expertise to tackle the likes of Struff, Otte, Musetti, Sonego or Kokkinakis. As a result of in Davis Cup, something can occur.

And the way might Dancevic not be ok with his doubles combos: Vasek and Denis, Vasek and Félix or Denis and Félix? Contemplating how necessary two of these pairings have been within the back-to-back ties towards Germany and Italy, depth was undoubtedly decisive. 

Now that every one is claimed and completed, the interview resonates all of the extra: “Vasek with both Denis or Félix are nice match-ups. We have now just a few decisions. We simply must put ourselves ready and who is aware of what can occur? We really feel we are able to win this factor. That’s the subsequent step.”

Sitting courtside at Davis Cup was Guillaume Marx, head of efficiency at Tennis Canada. He left Spain a cheerful man.

Upon his return, he struggled to sum up his emotions: “I’m impressed, very proud and moved by what the crew achieved. Successful Davis Cup for the primary time is a serious achievement for tennis and sports activities in Canada. Led by our captain, Frank, and by Félix Auger-Aliassime, who actually fulfilled his management function, our gamers have been all at their finest within the competitors.”

For Marx, the victory is an unforgettable one. “The crew’s already made historical past!” he mentioned.

After which there’s Louis Borfiga, the person who set Canadian tennis improvement in movement 17 years in the past.

It was his system that recognized, focused, developed and ready gamers like Raonic, Pospisil, Shapovalov and Auger-Aliassime for his or her sensible careers and Davis Cup performances. A part of the plan was to herald trusted males like Marx, Frédéric Fontang, Martin Laurendeau and all of the others who’re at the moment mentoring our elite in males’s tennis.

In an interview he gave from his house outdoors Paris, Borfiga mentioned he didn’t miss a match of Canada’s three ties in Malaga.

“Everybody is aware of my reservations in regards to the new Davis Cup format, however I wasn’t going to go away my children alone on the market, so I watched all of them,” he mentioned. “Félix impressed me as a pacesetter by taking up the function and carrying the crew to success. Vasek as soon as once more demonstrated his expertise at Davis Cup. He’s a fantastic doubles participant and a fantastic participant below strain. If anybody deserved to win it, particularly contemplating his loyalty to Davis Cup, it’s Vasek.”

Borfiga, who competed at Davis Cup many years in the past, is aware of how great the achievement actually is. “To have your title on the trophy is to stake your declare as one of many world’s strongest tennis nations.”

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Electronic mail: privard@tenniscanada.com

Twitter: @paul6rivard

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