Not many people – Canadians included – were talking about Vasek Pospisil heading into Wimbledon.
The No. 56-ranked singles player in the world has operated in the shadow of Milos Raonic over the last few years as the young Torontonian has won some events, climb the rankings and advanced to the semifinals at the All England Club last summer. Even after missing time, including the French Open, earlier this year, all eyes were on Raonic heading into this year’s Grand Slam event on grass.
But while Raonic was bounced early, Pospisil has been the Cinderella story of the tournament, rallying from two sets down Monday morning to advance to the quarterfinals with a five-set victory over No. 22 seed Viktor Troicki.
Making it to the second week in England was already an accomplishment for the Vernon, British Columbia native as his previous best was a second-round exit. After needing five sets to beat French qualifier Vincent Millot in the first round, Pospisil began his string up upset with a strong win over Italy’s Fabio Fognini in the second, bouncing the No. 30 seed in four sets. He then turned back British favourite James Ward, forcing a fifth set with a 6-3 win in the fourth before taking the final frame 8-6 to advance to the Round of 16. Had the run stopped there, this year’s tournament still would have been a major breakthrough moment for the 25-year-old Canadian.
Early in his match with Troicki, it appeared as if Pospisil’s magical run was coming to an end. He dropped the opening two sets and had never rallied from an 0-2 deficit in his career. It was a perfect opportunity to pack up shop, wave politely and be on his way, but instead of folding, the resilient Canuck rallied, winning the next two sets 6-4 and 6-3, respectively, before punching his ticket to Wimbledon’s “Elite Eight” with a 6-3 win in the fifth. Next up is a showdown with former champion and No. 3 seed Andy Murray.
What makes Pospisil’s run of success in singles all the more impressive is that he’s done all this while advancing to the Round of 16 in doubles as well. Pospisil, who is ranked No. 5 in the world as a doubles player, and his partner, American Jack Sock, claimed the doubles title last year in England with a five-set win over perennial top seeds Bob and Mike Bryan. Getting through one draw is difficult enough, but Pospisil has been playing virtually every day since the tournament commenced, including playing a doubles match with Sock only a couple hours after defeating Troicki on Monday morning. Unfortunately for the defending champs, their run came to an end before the quarterfinals, though that does mean Pospisil will be able to focus exclusively on preparing for Murray and trying to continue his unexpected run in the singles draw.
Regardless of what happens from here on out, Pospisil has been one of the breakout stars of this tournament and increased his profile at home and abroad.
Of course, he’s still alive in both singles and doubles, so why stop now?
There is one interesting subplot to all this. Pospisil’s success with Sock last year – and the numerous Grand Slam successes of Daniel Nestor in doubles – highlights an unfortunate reality about how we recognize our tennis athletes in this country. We put too great of a focus on singles accomplishments without giving enough credit and attention to the achievements Canadians reach in doubles.
Nestor has eight Grand Slam doubles titles – EIGHT – and yet most people probably still remember him for his victory over Stefan Edberg in Davis Cup play in 1992. That was more than two decades ago and the guy has been a monster on the doubles court for the last decade and change, but that’s still his crowning achievement to most.
It’s time to step up and start recognizing great Canadian performances wherever they happen – in singles or in doubles.
