ATP Cup victory | “It consecrates Canada on the international scene”

The victory of Canada at the ATP Cup in Sydney, Australia, Eugène Lapierre “lived half asleep”, he says, laughing on the phone. “I was a lot more awake towards the end when Felix ended up winning the tiebreaker in the first set. ”

Jean-Francois Téotonio
Press

Félix Auger-Aliassime will end up winning in two sets of 7-6 (3) and 6-3 against Roberto Bautista Agut, which confirmed the victory of the Canadians in two games against Spain in the final.

Denis Shapovalov, who instantly hugged his compatriot in celebration, defeated Pablo Carreno Busta in two sets (6-4, 6-3) earlier in the day.

“It’s a big victory,” said Lapierre, vice-president of Tennis Canada and director of the National Bank Open. It establishes Canada’s position on the international stage as a force that continues to progress. ”

This moment of joy was all the more deserved as the Canadian team, also made up of Brayden Schnur and Steven Diez, had started their tournament in the worst possible way, with four consecutive losses at the start of the week. The Canadians finally recovered in their clash against Great Britain in the group stage, winning 2-1 before doing the same against Germany.

In the semifinals, Canada had to work hard against defending champions Russia, but ultimately won thanks to a saving performance in doubles.

“They were very lucky to qualify for the semi-finals and to come out of their group,” said Lapierre. […] They kept improving throughout the competition. ”

“They’ve gone a long way,” judge Guillaume Marx, head of performance at Tennis Canada. […] They showed a lot of willpower. This is what is really interesting: they lost at the start, they were not discouraged and they ended up really on fire. ”

According to Marx, this title is “an encouragement for their career, for the team spirit in general”.

“They really had a blast”

“One of the things that made the difference was the willingness they had to play together,” Marx explains.

Auger-Aliassime, 21, and Shapovalov, 22, have known each other since the start of their careers and development. In a team competition like this, their great bond has served them well.

“Their desire to team up made the difference,” believes Marx. Then, in the game, it is young people who can be extremely successful. In terms of rankings today, these were matches within their grasp. They took on this role completely well, playing both seriously and casually. ”

Lapierre adds. “It wouldn’t happen if it weren’t for two people getting along well,” he says.

“Yes, they’re having fun, they like each other. But it remains that it is an individual sport and when they meet the two on the same ground against each other, they give absolutely nothing to each other. In a team meeting, when Felix lost his match and he saw that the other had won his match, it can create tension. […] The pressure can come in any way possible. But they ignore that and they leaned on. ”

Marx spoke of a “relaxed” game. This is also what the vice-president of Tennis Canada noticed.

“It’s a great lesson in how sport should be experienced, seeing them congratulate each other, have fun. Sometimes I saw them, Felix looked in his corner with a smile after missing a bullet. ‟Well let’s see, how I managed to miss that!” So much the better if it’s like that. They are two completely different athletes on the field, but also on the personality side. They complement each other and have a bond. We’re going to cross our fingers to make it last as long as possible. ”

“It’s good for tennis”

Auger-Aliassime, who is expected to place ninth in the world on Monday, is perhaps the current best male tennis player who has yet to win an ATP singles title.

This victory is “a further step” towards this goal, according to Marx. “The moment when he’s going to win a title, and a big title, is only getting closer. These competitions are perfect for gaining maturity and confidence. ”

Lapierre goes even further.

“The next step is going to be a Grand Slam victory. They are so young, and it is true that the competition is fierce, but we can see that they have the level to be there. ”

“In the short term, I want to see them settle in the top 10. tomorrow [ce lundi], Felix will be ninth. Denis is not riding this week, but that should give him an incredible boost for the Australian Open. ”

Eugène Lapierre wishes to see the athletes of his federation find themselves in the headlines as regularly as possible. Because performances like Sunday’s “it’s good for tennis”.

“It’s good for the job we do. The idea of ​​developing top players, yes, it’s fun, but Tennis Canada’s mission is to develop and promote the sport, to ensure that there are more Canadians who jump on the court and adopt the practice of tennis. And that, we know that it goes through young people. ”

He recalls how the pandemic has dealt a hard blow to his federation, especially financially, in recent years.

“We had to cut 70% of programs in 2020, and we are far from having put them back in place in 2021. We do not want a generation sacrificed in its entirety. There are young people aged 10, 12 and 14 who are there and for whom we are not able to offer competitions, to train them adequately. […] Victories like this encourage everyone and also motivate young people to adopt the sport of tennis.

“The phenomenon of emulation never works as well as when there are local stars,” he concludes. We see it in hockey here. This is a lot what top players are used for: to make people dream. ”