Vasek Pospisil had an excellent 18-year profession on the skilled tennis tour. He was a Wimbledon doubles champion and singles quarter-finalist, a doubles world No. 4 and singles world No. 25. He gained seven ATP Tour doubles titles and reached three singles finals, together with the primary and to-date solely all-Canadian remaining in 2014 in Washington, and reached the semifinals of the 2013 Nationwide Financial institution Open in Montreal.
However for many Canadian tennis followers, Pospisil was at his finest when donning the purple and white in Davis Cup competitors.
Pospisil made his debut for Group Canada in 2008 at age 17 and went on to take part in 35 ties and 60 matches, each second-most all-time for Canada behind Daniel Nestor.
His look in February 2025 on the Davis Cup Qualifiers 1st Spherical in Montreal towards Hungary was Pospisil’s final time representing Canada on the Davis Cup. He teamed up with Liam Draxl, who was competing in his first-ever Davis Cup match, for a doubles win, the British Columbian’s thirty third Davis Cup victory.
As Pospisil’s illustrious Davis Cup profession involves an finish, let’s look again at his finest moments representing Group Canada.
5) Revenge In opposition to Japan in 2015
When Canada drew Japan for the 2015 Davis Cup World Group first spherical, it was the second 12 months in a row the 2 groups would kick off the competitors towards one another. In 2014, Japan had defeated Canada 4-1 on dwelling soil, their sixth win in as many Davis Cup conferences.
This time round, the Canadians had been enjoying host and bolstering a full-strength squad that includes Milos Raonic and Pospisil, who had been on the group for the 2014 tie however didn’t play.
After day one, the 2 nations had been tied 1-1. Pospisil got here out for the doubles alongside Daniel Nestor, trying to hand the Canadians the benefit and the pair delivered, battling to an exhilarating five-set win over Go Soeda and Yasutaka Uchiyama to present Canada a 2-1 lead heading into the ultimate day.
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Kei Nishikori defeated Raonic within the first singles match on Sunday to degree the tie, which meant it got here right down to Pospisil and Soeda to see who would advance to the quarter-finals.
With the Vancouver crowd behind him, Pospisil delivered precisely the efficiency his nation wanted. After edging a good first set, the native favorite cruised the remainder of the best way, scoring a straight-set win to avenge the earlier 12 months’s loss and ship Canada into the quarter-finals for the second time in three years.
4) Rising to the Problem on the 2019 Finals
The 2019 Davis Cup was a complete new expertise. Not solely was it the primary 12 months of the brand new format, with groups assembly in a single location at 12 months’s finish for the “Davis Cup Finals,” however for Group Canada particularly it marked a altering of the guard because it was Canada’s first marketing campaign because the early Nineteen Nineties with out Daniel Nestor. Milos Raonic was additionally not current.
As a substitute, it was the brand new technology of Canadian stars, Denis Shapovalov and Félix Auger-Aliassime, anticipated to cleared the path for Group Canada. However as all the time, Pospisil was there and able to go. Because it seems, Auger-Aliassime was coping with some accidents and the brand new veteran chief of the squad was referred to as upon.
And as he all the time did in Davis Cup, he stepped up in a giant manner.
Pospisil gained each of his singles matches within the group stage in straight units, spectacular wins over Fabio Fognini and Reilly Opelka, to assist Canada end atop Group F. He then scored each factors for Canada within the quarter-finals towards Australia, one other straight-set singles win over John Millman after which a doubles will over John Friends and Jordan Thompson, to ship Canada to their second semifinal within the 2010s.
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Within the semis, they confronted one of many event favourites, Russia. The 2 nations cut up the singles matches, sending the tie to the doubles the place Pospisil and Shapovalov took on Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev. As he so typically did in Davis Cup competitors, Pospisil discovered one other gear in a key doubles match. He and his younger accomplice held their nerve and scraped out the third set tiebreak to ship the Canadians to their first-ever Davis Cup remaining.
Whereas Pospisil didn’t get the prospect to play within the remaining towards Spain, his clutch play, significantly within the two deciding doubles matches within the knockout stage, offered a preview for higher success three years later.
3) Doubles Heroics in 2013 Semifinal Run
Canada first participated within the Davis Cup in 1913, reaching the semifinals (technically the “playoff remaining” as groups performed a contest for the suitable to face the defending champion again within the early days of the Davis Cup). It could take a full century for Canada to get again to that stage.
In 2013, the Canadian squad went on a long-awaited run in Davis Cup, knocking off powerhouses Spain and Italy within the first spherical and quarter-finals respectively to succeed in the semifinals for the primary time in 100 years.
Pospisil performed a giant function in these wins, significantly within the quarter-finals when he and Daniel Nestor put Canada getting ready to victory with an epic doubles win on day two. The Vernon, BC-native was searching for redemption after letting a two-set lead slip away in singles the day prior.
He discovered himself perilously near letting it occur once more when he and Nestor went up two units solely to seek out themselves locked in an prolonged fifth set. The Canadians finally held their nerve, hanging on to take the decider 15-13 to present Canada a 2-1 edge going into Sunday. Milos Raonic closed out the tie the next day.
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Within the semifinals towards the Novak Djokovic-led Serbians in Belgrade, Group Canada discovered themselves in an analogous place. With the world No. 1 on the opposite group, a doubles win was crucial to present Canada an opportunity at reaching their first remaining. Pospisil and Nestor had their backs up towards the wall when down two units to at least one and dealing with a tiebreak within the fourth set however they managed to power a decider.
One other epic fifth set ensued and identical to the quarter-finals, the Canadian got here up clutch, squeaking it out 10-8 to take a 2-1 lead into Sunday.
Sadly, it was not sufficient for Canada because the host Serbians took each singles matches on the ultimate day. However the defeat didn’t dampen the thrill of the nation’s finest run on the Davis Cup in 100 years and created hope that at some point quickly, the trophy could be theirs.
2) Placing Canada on His Shoulders to Advance to World Group In opposition to Israel in 2011
There was a brand new buzz round Group Canada within the 2011 Davis Cup. The nation had been caught within the Americas zone since 2005 and had solely performed three whole World Group ties since 1990, the 12 months that the 2 males accountable for Canada’s renewed hope had been born.
Pospisil and Milos Raonic had led Canada to wins within the People Group I quarter and semifinals earlier within the season to arrange a conflict with Israel within the ironically-named Canada Stadium in Ramat Hasharon, Israel. Raonic was nonetheless recovering from a leg harm suffered at Wimbledon and solely managed to play one match, a day-one loss to Amir Weintraub.
That meant that the 21-year-old Pospisil, who was competing in simply his fourth Davis Cup tie, was going to must do the heavy lifting for Canada.
Proper from the beginning, the teen was digging deep. Within the opening match of the tie, earlier than Raonic-Weintrub, Pospisil went toe-to-toe with the Israeli No. 1 Dudi Sela, who on the time was a Prime 100 participant whereas the Canadian was within the 120s. The match was an epic that included three tiebreaks however in the long run, it was the underdog Canadian who snuck out the fifth set to attain the primary level for the guests.
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After Raonic’s defeat levelled the tie, Pospisil and Nestor got here out for the doubles and did what they did finest and would do for the higher a part of the following decade, rating a crucial doubles win to place Canada forward heading into the ultimate day.
Sela defeated Peter Polansky within the opening singles match on the ultimate day to as soon as once more draw even, which means it was as much as Pospisil to punch Canada’s ticket to the World Group within the fifth and deciding rubber.
In the long run, it was not an excessively dramatic end. Pospisil delivered the primary of many clutch Davis Cup victories in his profession, though a extra easy one than some he would rating in a while. He simply defeated Weintraub in straight units to seal the win, ending off a tie the place he claimed all three factors for his nation.
Because of this, Canada superior to the World Group in 2012. Pospisil would by no means play one other tie within the Americas zone, and even within the newly-created World Group I after the 2019 revamp, in his Davis Cup profession and, on the time of Pospisil’s retirement in 2025, Canada has not performed under the very best group within the Davis Cup construction because the British Columbian received them promoted together with his unbelievable efficiency towards Israel.
1) Clutch Doubles Wins Assist Canada to 2022 Title
Greater than a decade after Pospisil’s heroics towards Israel, Canada had come near getting their palms on the trophy in 2013 and 2019, but it surely remained elusive. Nevertheless, that they had additionally managed to keep away from relegation.
The altering of the guard was additionally practically full. On the 2022 Davis Cup Finals, beginning with the group stage in Valencia in September, Pospisil was the one member of the group over the age of 23 (he was 32).
However his veteran expertise proved crucial within the Finals.
Canada’s 2022 title run is commonly remembered for Félix Auger-Aliassime’s phenomenal efficiency, together with an upset of world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz as a part of an eight-match Davis Cup successful streak (singles and doubles) to hold Canada to victory. Nevertheless, it was Pospisil who delivered the primary defining efficiency of the Finals, one which saved the championship dream early on.
The primary tie of the group stage was towards the Republic of Korea and, regardless of Canada being a heavy favorite, the Koreans gave the eventual champions a giant scare. Within the opening match, Pospisil needed to rally from a set down towards Seongchan Hong, however managed to carry his nerve within the third set tiebreak to attain the primary level for the Canadians.
Auger-Aliassime was then upset by Soonwoo Kwon, which means the doubles match would determine the tie. Auger-Aliassime and Pospisil had been drawn right into a nail-biter that went the space, however the two Canadians held on to squeak out a three-set win and declare their first tie of the group stage.
In opposition to Spain, it additionally got here right down to the doubles and this time, it appeared like Canada’s time was up after they trailed 5-3 within the third set. However each Canadian males discovered one other gear, reeling off 4 straight video games, together with a break when the Spanish pair served for the match, to upset the hosts.
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When the Canadians landed in Malaga two months later for the knockout stage, Denis Shapovalov joined the squad, which means Pospisil would solely be required to play doubles if mandatory. And boy was it mandatory.
In each the quarter-finals and semifinals, Canada misplaced the opening singles match after which gained the second, which means it was as much as Pospisil and his accomplice of the day (Shapovalov within the quarters, Auger-Aliassime within the semis) to complete the job.
On each events, they did. The quarter-final win towards Germany was significantly spectacular because the German pair of Kevin Krawietz and Tim Putz had been undefeated, an ideal 8-0, as a group as much as that time in Davis Cup. After they took the primary set 6-2, it appeared like Canada must wait a 12 months to take one other shot on the title. However Pospisil and Shapovalov had different concepts. They weren’t damaged once more within the remaining two units as they shocked the Germans to ship Canada to their third semifinal within the final 10 years. That loss stays as of February 2025 Krawietz and Putz’s solely Davis Cup loss.
The semifinal win over Italy was a lot cleaner, with Pospisil and Auger-Aliassime placing away Matteo Berrettini and Fabio Fognini in straight units to ship Canada to the ultimate.
Whereas Pospisil didn’t get an opportunity to play within the remaining towards Australia, as Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov completed off the tie with a pair of straight-set singles wins, his fingerprints had been all around the title run. He went 6-2 within the 2022 Davis Cup, with 4 of his wins being tie-clinching doubles victories. If he misplaced any of these matches, Canada wouldn’t have been topped champions.
