We have only 2 months left in 2020, and many things have happened this year. We are going through a global pandemic that is affecting many industries around the world, and one of these industries is sports.
Personally, I really love watching sports. I have been watching many kinds of sports since I was a kid such as a soccer, tennis, basketball, badminton, etc. Watching sports is one of my passions in my life. However, because of the global Covid-19 outbreak that began in March 2020 and is ongoing, many sports have been postponed in order to ensure that athletes and fans are staying safe and healthy. Thus, this has become one of the saddest times in my life, and I’m sure that many others are experiencing this sadness and loss as well. Nonetheless, after most sports were suspended for almost 3 months, many sports organisations around the world tried very hard to bring sports back. Recently, they have finally been able to do this. The first sport that I remember seeing was soccer, followed by others such as basketball, tennis, badminton, etc. As a result, my happiness and excitement was coming back again.
Since the return of televised sports, I have been watching them every day. Furthermore, there are many athletes that have had superb performances after returning from the Covid-19 suspension, some of whom are Canadian athletes.
Here are my top 5 Canadian athletes in 2020
5. Denis Shapovalov [Tennis]
Image from USOpen.org
Let’s start with Denis Shapovalov, a Canadian tennis player, who is currently ranked 12th in the world. He is a left-handed tennis player who has an aggressive style on the court as well as an impressive one-handed backhand. He won an ATP title at the Stockholm Open in 2019 and has earned more than five million US dollars in his career. Therefore, he is one of the most popular active Canadian tennis players.
I think that 2020 has been the best year of his career since he turned pro on the ATP tour in 2016. When watching his most recent matches, I notice that he has improved his tennis skills in many different ways such as four-hand & backhand strokes, volley, serve, footwork, etc. He was ranked 10th on September 21, 2020, which is the highest rank he has achieved in his tennis career. Moreover, he also went to the quarter-finals of US open 2020, one of the Grand slam titles, which is the highest round that he has reached in his grand slam career.
Currently, he is one of the best Canadian tennis players. At just 21 years old, Denis Shapovalov is still has a lot of time to develop his tennis skills in his career, and I believe that he has the potential to win a medal in the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021, as well as grand slam titles in the next couple of years.
4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander [Basketball]
Image from tsn.ca
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a Canadian basketball player, is a player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the NBA. He was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets with the 11th overall pick in 2018 and then was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers and the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2019. He plays shooting guard & small forward positions for the teams and won NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2019.
After he got traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2019, media predicted that the Oklahoma City Thunder had only a 0.2 % chance of making it to the 2020 NBA playoffs; this was primarily because the team traded Russell Westbrook and Paul George, two all-stars players, to the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Clippers. However, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his teammates proved them wrong. He and the team had a good overall performance in the 2019/2020 NBA regular season and were able to reach the 2020 NBA playoffs in the 5th position with a 44-28 record. This was an incredible record for the team and him.
Even though he and his teammates lost to the Houston Rockets in the first round of the 2020 NBA playoffs, his notable performance makes me excited for his future. He is only 22 years old, and my hope is that he is able to improve and help the Oklahoma City Thunder find even greater success next season.
3. Jamal Murray [Basketball]
Image from thespun.com
Jamal Murray, a Canadian basketball player, is a player for the Denver Nuggets of the NBA. He was drafted by the Nuggets with the 7th overall pick in 2016. He plays point guard & shooting guard for the teams and won NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2017.
In 2020, After the NBA decided to come back again from the pandemic. They brought 23 NBA teams to play in Disney World, Orlando. Here was the place that Jamal Murray showed every basketball fan around the world that he is one of the best basketball players today. In the 2020 NBA playoffs, Jamal Murray set many records for himself and the team. He helped the team to win the Utah Jazz in the first round after a 3–1 deficit with a career-high 50 points in game 4 & 6. Moreover, He and the Nuggets also won over the Los Angeles Clippers in the western conference semifinal after another 3–1 deficit. The Nuggets became the first team in the NBA that was able to recover from multiple 3–1 deficits in the playoffs.
Even though he and the Nuggets lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the western conference final, I think he has proved that he is one of the best Canadian basketball players, and I’m looking forward to seeing his performance again next season.
2. Brayden Point [Hockey]
Image from nhl.com
Brayden Point, a Canadian hockey player, is a player for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning with the 79th overall pick in 2014. He plays center position for the team and won the Stanley Cup in 2020.
I believe there is no word that can explain how incredible Brayden Point was in 2020. Considering that he won the 2020 Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning, he had a very unbelievable season. Moreover, he also had fantastic personal stats such as leading goals in the playoffs (14) as well as scoring the clinching goal in game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals. Although it was unfortunate that he wasn’t named the game’s MVP, his performance was exceptional this season.
This could potentially be the peak in his career, but anything is possible. We will see if he can achieve another win at next year’s Stanley Cup finals alongside the Tampa Bay Lightning.
1. Alphonso Davies [Soccer]
Image from bundesliga.com
Alphonso Davies, a Canadian soccer player, is a player for Bayern Munich in Bundesliga. He was a former Whitecaps player, and he moved to Bayern Munich in 2019. He plays Left-back & winger positions for the team and won many trophies with Bayern Munich.
In my opinion, he is one of the most successful athletes in the world in 2020. I first noticed him when he played against Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League this season. Because of his performance in that game, I became his fan, and I wasn’t surprised that he was very successful with Bayern Munich. His soccer skills and his speed are incredible. Furthermore, he also has good teamwork skills. He and his team won 5 major trophies in 2020: Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, DFL-Supercup, UEFA Champions League, and UEFA Super Cup.
Given his success, I have placed him as number one on this list. I am impressed that he has accomplished so much at only 19 years old. He still has a lot of time and opportunities to improve himself and to be more successful. Hopefully, he will be the best soccer player in the world one day.
If you want to know more about Alphonso Davies’s story, you can listen to Supakrid’s Echoes podcast in the link below.
https://commons.bcit.ca/evolution1079/2020/09/27/supakrids-echoes-podcast-alphonso-davies/
Since many sports are coming back to television, I hope you have fun watching your favourite sports and athletes during the Covid-19 pandemic. If you agree or disagree with my top 5 list or have any thoughts, you can leave your comments below.