by Randy Walker
TennisPublisher
@TennisPublisher
Canada made history by winning the Davis Cup for the first time ever.
It also made history by becoming the first nation to win the event after already losing and being eliminated.
There is always something quirky about Davis Cup, which is part of its charm, and this is one of the most quirky episodes.
In March in the Davis Cup Qualifying Round, Canada was shut out and eliminated from the competition with 4-0 loss to the Netherlands on March 5 in The Hague. Canada did not have its “A” team on the court in the series, being represented by Alexis Galarneau, Steven Diez, Brayden Schnur and Peter Polansky, none of whom ranked in the top 100. This loss came about a week after Russia invaded Ukraine. Weeks later Russia was suspended from all International Tennis Federation team events. On March 17, it was announced that Canada, despite their loss to the Netherlands, would replace Russia in the 16-team Davis Cup Finals round-robin in September. Canada then emerged from this round-robin group in a three-way tie in their group with Spain and Serbia in Valencia, Spain, led by rising super-star Felix Auger-Aliassime, who returned to the Team Canada for this round along with top doubles player Vasek Pospisil. Galarneau also played for Canada in this round along with Gabriel Diallo.
Denis Shapovalov, the former Wimbledon semifinalist, rejoined the Team Canada for the eight-team quarterfinal knock-out round in Malaga, Spain, instantly making them one of the favorites to win the title, which they nearly won in 2019 in Madrid.
After beating Germany and Italy, Canada won the Final 2-0 over Australia with Shapovalov beating Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-2, 6-4 and Auger-Aliassime defeating Alex deMinaur 6-3, 6-4 to clinch the victory.
