It is considered the “World Cup of Tennis” and two of Canada’s best players just announced that they are withdrawing from the tournament.
The Davis Cup is set to start at the end of the month and Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov have both pulled out, according to a statement from Tennis Canada released today (Sunday).
The two highest ranked Canadian players in the ATP Tour achieved great success in 2021, each reaching their best Grand Slam results with semi-final showings. Both cited needing more time to recover for 2022.
More details: ⬇️https://t.co/nUUTOEpruy
— Tennis Canada (@TennisCanada) November 14, 2021
The Davis Cup is THE event for men’s tennis, and has countries compete against each other in a knockout form to determine the winner. The competition started in 1900, and only had two teams – Great Britain and the United States. Over the years, 135 countries have taken part.
During the last Davis Cup, Canada lost to Spain in the finals.
Auger-Aliassime said that he has been dealing with an injury for quite awhile and that by the recommendation of his doctor, he should rest. Shapovalov also said that needed rest was the reason why he pulled out.
— Félix AugerAliassime (@felixtennis) November 14, 2021
This past tennis season, Shapovalov has reached the Wimbledon semi-finals and the Geneva Open finals. He has represented Canada at the Davis Cup 8 times throughout his career. Auger-Aliassime reached the semifinals at the US Open this past season, and found himself ranked 11th in the ATP Tour rankings, a career high for him. He was taken part in the Davis Cup 4 times.
It was a difficult decision for both players, but team captain Frank Dancevic understands.
“We know that Felix and Denis have always made the Davis Cup one of their top priorities, but it’s been a long and even more trying season due to the protocols and measures put in place to help combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus, and we completely understand their decision.”
Toronto’s Steven Diez will take the players spot, and join Vasek Pospisil, Brayden Schnur, and Peter Polansky.
This will be Diez’s second appearance at the Davis Cup.The last time he took part was in 2010. His is currently ranked 258th in the ATP rankings.
The Davis Cup will take place in three venu – the Madrid Arena, the Olympia-Halle in Innsbruck, and the pala Alpitour Arena in Turin. The tournament starts on November 25th and the finals will be held on December 5th in Madrid.