Vasek Pospisil | From tennis player to businessman

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen Vasek Pospisil healthy. He will be back at the National Bank Open in Montreal and, on the road to recovery, the Canadian has decided to enter the business world.

Nicholas Richard
The Press

OBN organizers announced on Thursday that Pospisil was among the group of four players given a bye to the main draw. It will be for him a 14^e participation in the tournament. “It happened so quickly,” he exclaimed in an interview with The Press.

At 32, the athlete from British Columbia is ranked 141^e world rank and wavers between the ATP Tour and Challenger tournaments.

The road has not been easy for the one who was perceived at his beginnings as one of the most beautiful hopes of Canadian tennis. In 2011, he had delivered a good opposition to Roger Federer, on the center court of the IGA stadium. In 2013, he enjoyed a whole week by reaching the semi-final of the Omnium before losing to his compatriot Milos Raonic. Then in 2014, he won the Wimbledon tournament in doubles with the American Jack Sock.

However, injuries slowed Pospisil. A back injury plagued him for many years. “My back injury was a complicated period in my career. However, he came back strong in 2020 and the ATP even awarded him the title of comeback of the year.

Recently, it was a neck injury that got the better of him for four months, three of which without being able to hit balls. A few days away from taking part in the Canadian tournament, he assures us that he is 100%. However, the result does not matter. The main thing is to stay healthy.

Currently, the Canadian’s biggest wish would be to be able to play a full year without hassle, away from the infirmary. He hopes that the results will eventually reflect all the work he has done to prepare for this return. “The most important thing is to stay focused on the process, practice and improve. I am hopeful that the results will come. »

The other hobby

During his recovery, Pospisil was introduced to the benefits of functional mushrooms by a doctor of nutrition. Completely unfamiliar with the powers of this plant, the tennis player was conquered. He noticed a noticeable difference in his rehabilitation and he wanted this personal discovery to be known by as many people as possible. That’s why he launched the hydrating sports drink Hekate Sport, made with mushrooms and all-natural products.

“I had never heard of this before,” he said. It’s a challenge. I always feel that I have to create something different. At the moment, my passion is mushrooms. »

Then, as Pospisil refuses to do things by halves, he convinced swimmer Penny Oleksiak, the most decorated Olympian in Canadian history, to join the project as an associate. “It’s amazing to have her as an ambassador. When I spoke to her, it joined her, in her way of training and taking care of herself. »

Pospisil always wanted to be more than a tennis player. Not by choice, but simply because he likes having his work cut out for him and being involved in various projects. This is why he created the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), in 2019, with Novak Djokovic, to allow ATP players to be better represented.

Pleasure, he has. “I could talk about mushrooms for hours,” he joked.

Everything is therefore going well for Vasek Pospisil, who is in demand from all sides and who is returning to a semblance of normality. He is impatient to find the Quebec fans, because he feels appreciated and he has never taken this love for granted.

This will be a great opportunity for him to relaunch his career. “I believe that I can still have good years. I still feel young, but the end can come sooner than you think in the world of tennis. At least he won’t be bored during his post-career, which he hopes will come as late as possible.