"It’s an incredibly strong team, and we have a chance to win it,” says team captain Frank Dancevic.
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Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime will return to the international tennis stage as Canada prepares to compete in the 2022 Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, Spain. The event will cap off a gruelling 10-month tennis schedule, with players from eight different countries competing in a team vs. team format, ultimately crowning a champion on Sunday. With rising star Auger-Aliassime, who is now ranked world No. 6, top 20 talent Shapovalov, and doubles grand slam champion Vasek Pospisil on the roster, Canada’s chances are looking bright. “It’s an incredibly strong team, and we have a chance to win it,” says team captain Frank Dancevic.
Alexis Galarneau and Gabriel Diallo from Quebec round out the five-player roster. It’s the first time Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov have competed together at the competition since reaching the finals in 2019, and if he still has some gas in the tank, Auger-Aliassime will be relied on as the top singles player.
This fall, the Montreal native has been one of the tour’s top competitors, winning three consecutive ATP titles in Florence, Antwerp, and Basel. The incredible run of tennis earned him a spot in the ATP Finals in Turin, where he defeated Rafael Nadal for the first time in his career before being eliminated by American Taylor Fritz in a tight three-set match.
Marin Cilic led Croatia into the Davis Cup semi-finals on Wednesday, defeating six-time champions Spain, who were missing top-ranked players Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal. Croatia’s world number 17 Cilic, a former US Open champion, rallied to defeat 13th-ranked Pablo Carreno Busta 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) as Croatia advanced to the semi-finals against Australia. Borna Coric had set the 2005 and 2018 champions on their way earlier Wednesday, defeating Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4, 7-6 (7/4).
Cilic, 34, who made his Davis Cup debut in 2006, lost the first set, gave up a break in the decider, and trailed by a quarter in the tiebreak before winning after three hours and thirteen minutes on court. His 20 aces helped mitigate the effects of 15 double faults as Croatia stunned the 10,000-strong home crowd at the Palacio de Deportes. Croatia finished second to Russia in the 2021 final. “It was incredible battle,” said Cilic.
However, he admitted that the absence of US Open champion Alcaraz and 22-time Grand Slam champion Nadal aided Croatia, which had lost all three previous Davis Cup meetings with Spain. “It would be much different. Rafa has been during all his career a leader of the team. He’s one of the best Davis Cup players ever. Carlos, fantastic season for him. Such a pity for him to get injured.”
