[ad_1]
Félix Auger-Aliassime was unquestionably the MVP of Canadian males’s tennis in 2022.
As spectacular because the outcomes have been, that took him from No. 11 to No. 6 over the previous 12 months, equally spectacular was the sheer breadth of his season. It began on January 2 in Sydney, Australia, on the ATP Cup and concluded on November 27 in an unforgettable group triumph on the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, Spain.
He performed 87 matches (60-27) in the middle of the yr, which is greater than besides for 2 seasons in every of the careers of superstars Roger Federer (97 and 95), Rafael Nadal (93 and 89) and Novak Djokovic (97 and 87).
It started in Sydney when he led Canada to the ATP Cup, and he adopted that by reaching the quarter-finals of the Aussie Open the place he held a match level earlier than shedding 6-7(4), 3-6, 7-6(2), 7-5, 6-4 to eventual runner-up Daniil Medvedev.
After disappointments in eight consecutive profession ATP Tour finals, he lastly obtained his breakthrough title in February, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas on the ATP 500 in Rotterdam earlier than reaching the ultimate in Marseille (Andrey Rublev) the following week.
The ‘Sunshine Double’ proved to be unproductive when he misplaced his opening spherical in each Indian Wells (Botic van de Zandschulp) and Miami (Miomir Kecmanovic). His ensuing clay-court season produced solely modest outcomes, however he did push now 14-time champion Rafael Nadal to 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 within the round-of-16 at Roland Garros.
Then he was solely 4-4 on grass and misplaced to big-serving Maxime Cressy 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-6(9), 7-6(5) within the first spherical at Wimbledon. That will have been the largest “what if?” of his season. Had he managed to get previous the power-serving, 6-foot-7 Franco-American and gone on a run, it may have given a lift to his whole summer time, and his yr. Fortunately, there have been no ATP factors on supply.
His summer time turned out to be mediocre – lowlighted by a 6-1, 6-2 loss within the Omnium Banque Nationale présenté par Rogers quarter-finals to Casper Rudd at dwelling in Montreal, in addition to a listless 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 defeat to 20-year-old Jack Draper within the second spherical of the US Open.
Auger-Aliassime then obtained again on observe in Laver Cup and Davis Cup in September however actually caught fireplace in October – successful 16 matches in a row and capturing his 2nd, 3rd and 4th ATP titles in Florence (JJ Wolf), Antwerp (Sebastian Korda) and Basel, the place he beat world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz within the semi-finals and surging Holger Rune of Denmark within the remaining.
He appeared to expire of steam on the ATP 1000 in Paris – his fourth week in a row – shedding to Rune within the semi-finals and went 1-2 on the ATP Finals in Torino, solely managing a win over a struggling Nadal.
After enjoying impressed tennis within the Davis Cup group stage in Valencia in September highlighted by a sensational comeback, deciding-match victory with Vasek Pospisil over the Spanish doubles duo of Marcel Granollers and Pedro Martinez, he saved the very best for final with an unforgettable efficiency within the Davis Cup by Rakuten Finals. He gained singles matches over Germany’s Oscar Otte, Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti and Australia’s Alex de Minaur – plus a doubles semi-final victory with Pospisil over Italians Matteo Berrettini and Fabio Fognini. And all these matches have been in straight units and gained with out him ever shedding his serve.
His tour de drive introduced Canada its first-ever Davis Cup. And to exhibit his off-court aplomb, amid the group’s raucous celebrations, he appeared admirably coherent on the Radio-Canada in style speak present – Tout Le Monde En Parle in Montreal – dwell at 2 a.m. Malaga time.
Auger-Aliassime sidekick Denis Shapovalov dropped from No. 14 to No. 18 within the year-end 2022 rankings. However he needed to be inspired by a fall, which noticed him attain ATP Tour finals in Seoul, South Korea, and Vienna and in addition to the semi-finals in Tokyo to rebound from a seasonal rankings low of No. 24 in August. He famously gained a lights-out doubles match with Pospisil towards Germans Tim Puetz and Kevin Krawietz on the Davis Cup Finals. He and Pospisil elevated to superb heights to beat the completed German pair 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 with a quarter-final tie on the road within the deciding match.
He then defeated Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis on the ultimate day to arrange Auger-Aliassime’s finishing-touch victory over de Minaur.
Beginning out 2022 enduring a bout of COVID-19 and quarantine in Australia, Shapovalov was 3-1 on the ATP Cup in Sydney after which defeated No. 3-ranked Alexander Zverev on his solution to the Aussie Open quarter-finals earlier than shedding a 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3 marathon to eventual champion Nadal.
However within the first half of the yr, he then went 15 tournaments – from Rotterdam in February to Washington in August (10-15) – with out successful a couple of match apart from a semi-final in Dubai (red-hot Jiri Vesely) in February and a quarter-final in Rome (Casper Rudd) in Could.
He break up with coach Jamie Delgado, long-time coach of Andy Murray, in Could after six months collectively, and has since primarily had buddy and former participant Peter Polansky in a mentoring function. It appears to have step by step helped him and, throughout Davis Cup final month, he revealed that the 34-year-old Polansky, who hasn’t performed a match since early February, will likely be again on board in 2023.
There have been indicators of higher issues to come back in Cincinnati final summer time when Shapovalov defeated No. 18 Grigor Dimitrov and No. 31 Tommy Paul earlier than shedding 7-5, 7-5 to No. 1-ranked Daniil Medvedev.
Then there was an excruciating loss to a different Russian, No. 11 Andrey Rublev – 6-4, 2-6, 6-7(3), 6-4, 7-6(7) – within the third spherical on the US Open.
He had an extreme variety of ‘shut however no cigar’ matches in 2022, the type of outcomes he’ll hope to reverse in 2023. From Cincinnati till the top of this season, Shapovalov went 17-9 and seems to be on an uptick.
However he should enhance features of his serve, particularly to appropriate a double fault concern. With a median of 5.5 per match, he was solely behind Cressy (8.1) and Alexander Bublik (6.5) amongst 2022 main-tour gamers in that stat.
It might not seem to be a lot, however Vasek Pospisil needed to put within the time and the journey to enhance 2021’s year-end rating of No. 133 to No. 98 this season.
The bonus, after all, is that he nearly definitely is assured of a direct entry to subsequent month’s Australian Open – he solely wants a single withdrawal of one of many 104 gamers entered earlier than the beginning of qualifying on January 11th with the intention to get in. (Be aware: No. 77 Kamil Majchrzak of Poland is presently beneath a drug suspension and highly-unlikely to play.)
When he’s in Melbourne in a couple of weeks, Pospisil can assume again to this previous yr when he spent January in Europe enjoying Challenger occasions – going 9-2 and successful the $48,000 USD occasion in Quimper, France. He then reached the quarter-final of the ATP 250 in Dallas in February and went again to Europe for Challengers – making the ultimate in Pau, France, and the semi-finals in Torino.
He misplaced within the second spherical of qualifying in Indian Wells whereas having a left quad concern and within the first spherical of qualifying in Miami earlier than taking break day with an elbow damage.
He didn’t play once more till the grass-court season in June and struggled – shedding within the first spherical of Wimbledon qualifying.
The summer time wasn’t productive till he reached the semi-final of the Odlum Brown Challenger in Vancouver in August, misplaced within the second spherical of US Open qualifying (with cramps) to Italian veteran Andreas Seppi after which made the quarter-finals of the ATP 250 in Tel Aviv, shedding 7-6(5), 6-3 to buddy Novak Djokovic.
Throughout a Challengers dash to the year-end end, he reached the ultimate in Mouilleron le Captif, France, the semi-final in Ismaning, Germany, the third spherical of the Nationwide Financial institution Challenger in Calgary and – critically – gained the Nationwide Financial institution Challenger in Drummondville. That moved his rating from No. 115 to No. 100 and that coveted spot in the principle draw at Melbourne Park.
The season had an excellent coda as he performed excellent doubles in Davis Cup, beginning with key two wins with Auger-Aliassime in Valencia in September. In Malaga final month, he efficiently partnered with Shapovalov towards Germany, after which Auger-Aliassime towards Italy, in Canada’s historic Davis Cup triumph. He was carrying the red-and-white in his 28th tie in 12 years of representing Canada relationship again to 2008.
Two different Canadian males made progress in 2022 – and latterly gained acclaim as peerless cheerleaders for the Canadian Davis Cup group in Malaga – Alexis Galarneau and Gabriel Diallo.
Galarneau, who performed faculty tennis at North Carolina State, began 2022 at No. 378 and made a big enchancment to No. 207 by season’s finish. A gritty competitor, Galarneau performed in 20 Challenger occasions and compiled a 28-20 file – with highlights being a remaining in Winnipeg in July and semi-finals in Francavilla al Mare, Italy, in Could and Tiburon, California, in October. He additionally performed Davis Cup for Canada in February in The Hague, shedding 7-5, 7-6(9) to No. 48-ranked Dutchman van de Zandschulp.
On the Omnium Banque Nationale, he obtained a wild card and was overwhelmed 6-4, 7-5 by No. 19-ranked Dimitrov.
Diallo, 21, made a formidable rankings advance from No. 988 to No. 227 over the previous 12 months, all of the whereas enjoying faculty tennis on the College of Kentucky the place he helped his group win the Southeastern Convention title. He led the Wildcats in wins, going 38-8 on the yr.
Away from faculty, the 6-foot-7 large server didn’t play any tournaments till the ITF $25,000 occasion in East Lansing, Michigan, in June – and he gained it.
He defeated No. 62 James Duckworth within the first spherical of qualifying on the Omnium Banque Nationale in Montreal earlier than attaining his profession spotlight to this point by successful the Nationwide Financial institution Championships in Granby in late August. That earned him a helpful 80 ATP rating factors.
Diallo performed his first Davis Cup match in September in Valencia, popping out on the brief finish of a 6-2, 6-2 rating towards No. 66-ranked Laslo Djere of Serbia.
Within the fall he reached the ultimate of a Challenger in Fairfield, California, together with a win over American rising-star Ben Shelton, the 2022 NCAA champion – and in addition made the semi-finals of the Nationwide Financial institution Challenger in Calgary.
A breath of recent air on the Canadian scene, the outgoing Diallo has determined to forgo his senior yr at Kentucky and switch professional. With no ATP factors to defend, the Montrealer bears watching within the first half of 2023.
Each Diallo and Galarneau are planning to play the qualifying on the 2023 Australian Open.
Essentially the most promising participant amongst Canadian junior boys in 2022 was 18-year-old Jaden Weekes from Montreal. He completed No. 48 within the ITF rankings in a yr highlighted by a title on the Grade 2 occasion in Prato, Italy, in June.
He additionally gained doubles titles in San Diego (American Jonah Braswell) in March, Salsomaggiore, Italy, in April (American Aiden Kim) and Nottingham, England, (Thai Tanapatt Nirundorn) in June.
Weekes will likely be enjoying faculty tennis on the College of Kentucky starting with the brand new time period.
Function Photograph: Martin Sidorjak
[ad_2]
Source link
