From ATP Cup to Davis Cup, Canada wins it all in 2022
Canada's Davis Cup title victory put a perfect end to a fairytale season for their men's team at world events in the 2022 season. Canada, or players representing Canada, won it all this season at team events, starting with the ATP Cup in January and concluding with the nation's first-ever Davis Cup title this past Sunday.
23-year-old Denis Shapovalov and 22-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime won their singles matches against Australia's Thanasi Kokkinakis and Alex de Minaur in the final to give Canada their first title in the 109-year history of the Davis Cup, capping off a great season.
Canada's 2022 story had it all. A lot of resilience in tough situations at all the events they played in, and a bit of luck at the Davis Cup which they fully capitalized on, as they qualified for the round-robin stage despite being eliminated, owing to Russia's disqualification from all team events back in March.
After being convincingly beaten by neighbors, the USA, in the opening tie of the year in the ATP Cup in January, Canada won four consecutive ties to win the third edition of the ATP Cup. Those wins came against other talent-laden teams such as Great Britain, Germany, Russia, and Spain.
They made full use of their new life at the Davis Cup, winning round-robin stage ties against Spain and South Korea in mid-September to qualify for the quarterfinals. Soon after, Canadian representative Auger-Aliassime's big win over Novak Djokovic played a huge role in Team World clinching their maiden Laver Cup title against Team Europe, in what was Roger Federer's farewell tournament. Auger-Aliassime also won the title-winning doubles tie on the final day of the event.
The Canadian men's team then won the quarterfinals, semifinals, and final at the Davis Cup Finals this past week against Germany, Italy, and Australia, respectively, to maintain a 100% record at world team events in 2022. In the process, Canada also scripted history by winning the title as a 'lucky loser.'
Auger-Aliassime won all the matches he played in from the last-eight stage to the final, proving to be the deciding factor in Canada winning their maiden title. Vasek Pospisil and young talents Alexis Galarneau and Gabriel Diallo were also part of the victorious team.
Canadian tennis will aim to carry forward Davis Cup momentum into 2023 season
After their success in 2022, the Canadian men's team will aim to keep up the good work next season as they aim to defend their Davis Cup title. No country has defended its title at the prestigious event since the Czech Republic in 2013 and Canada can create further history by doing so.
However, they will not be able to defend their ATP Cup title as the tournament has now been replaced by the United Cup, a joint ATP-WTA event, and Canada did not qualify for the inaugural edition in 2023.
Meanwhile, the Canadian women's team will also resume their bid to win the Billie Jean King Cup title, the world team event on the WTA side. They lost to Switzerland in the round-robin stage this year. The Canadian women's team boasts of players such as Bianca Andreescu, Leylah Fernandez, Rebecca Marino, and top-10 doubles player Gabriela Dabrowski.