Gabriela Dabrowski | A double-edged success

Canada’s most successful player so far this season is Gabriela Dabrowski. The Canadian player who has won the most career titles is Daniel Nestor. The only Olympic medal in Canadian history in tennis was won by Sébastien Lareau. The common point ? They are all doubles players.

Nicholas Richard
The Press

The situation is not recent, but the problem persists. Doubles players are not recognized at their fair value. Whether in tournaments or in media representation, these athletes who have chosen another way of living their sport are relegated to an inferior status, despite all the success they know.

At the Sydney Olympics in 2000, Sébastien Lareau and Daniel Nestor finished the tournament with a gold medal around their necks. This is, to this day, the only Olympic medal won by Canada in tennis.

For his part, Daniel Nestor ranks third in tennis history for the most doubles titles with 91. He is second only to brothers Mike and Bob Bryan. Statistically, Nestor is the most successful Canadian player in the history of the sport.

Then, despite the strong comeback of Bianca Andreescu and the rise of Leylah Annie Fernandez, it is Gabriela Dabrowski who must be considered Canada’s best player since the start of the season. The Ottawan is ranked sixth in the world and won a title in Madrid in May.

She also reached the final in Rome the following week and has just lost in the mixed doubles semi-final at Roland-Garros.

“I’ve always played singles and doubles,” Dabrowski said in an interview, “but I wanted to break through as a singles player for a long time. »

Due to difficulties and conclusive results that were slow to arrive, the 30-year-old athlete focused more on doubles. She believes that taking this avenue saved her. Even if her career took an unexpected turn, she is no less happy and she is grateful to have been able to not only continue to live from her passion, but also to have accomplished herself.

With 11 titles on the WTA circuit, she hopes that her atypical career can convince young people that the double is not a consolation prize.

Especially since doubles is taught quickly in the various tennis clubs and academies in Canada. More and more, coaches encourage and teach young people to play doubles. For fun, of course, but also to develop other skills, such as net play or after-service sequences.

A question of market and format

Last summer, Dabrowski won the women’s doubles tournament at the National Bank Open in Montreal. Yet few people talked about it. This victory did not make the headlines.

However, she notes that things are changing. Especially since some of the best players in the world in singles, such as Barbora Krejcikova or Coco Gauff, also play high quality tennis in doubles. “There is more attention and importance that is given to the double. There is more promotion and marketing. There is a market for the double, but I think more needs to be done. The circuit, federations, tournaments and clubs must follow suit. »

One of the ideas supported by Dabrowski and which seem to be unanimously accepted by doubles players on the circuit is to rethink the format of tournaments by nation, for example. In the men’s Davis Cup, the doubles matches are played in the middle of the competition, so they are always decisive matches and the players are also chosen according to their doubles skills. On the women’s side, at the Billie Jean King Cup, doubles is played at the end of the tournament, if necessary.

“I think it makes the doubles lose its importance, because some duels are decided before the doubles are even played, or all the pressure is put on us because the tournament is decided at this precise moment. If it was still done like at the Davis Cup, it would be easier to show it off,” Dabrowski concluded.