Canada's Davis Cup comeback against Hungary falls short; Pospisil says he'll retire in 2025

Daniel Rainbird · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Feb 02, 2025 7:23 PM EST | Last Updated: February 3

Vasek Pospisil's decorated Davis Cup vocation with Canada is over.

Pospisil teamed up with Liam Draxl to bushed Hungary's Mate Valkusz and Peter Fajta successful a must-win doubles lucifer Sunday astatine the men's squad tennis tournament.

The 34-year-old from Vernon, B.C., announced he'd played his past Davis Cup necktie aft the match, adding he'll discontinue from tennis altogether sometime this year.

"There were a batch of emotions earlier the match. I didn't privation to speech astir it before, didn't privation it to beryllium a distraction for the team," Pospisil said adjacent to a amazed Draxl astatine their post-match quality conference. "Just the champion memories of my career, playing with the team. Davis Cup means truthful overmuch to maine and these guys meant truthful much, and playing for your country.

"It conscionable had specified a huge, large interaction connected my vocation and life."

Canada's comeback bid falls short

Canada yet failed to marque a comeback and mislaid 3-2 to Hungary successful this weekend's first-round qualifier.

Marton Fucsovics defeated Alexis Galarneau of Laval, Que., 7-6 (8), 6-4, successful the decisive 5th lucifer to assistance Hungary past Canada 3-2 successful the men's squad tennis tourney first-round qualifier.

Canada had battled backmost aft falling down 2-0 successful the best-of-five necktie with 2 singles losses Saturday.

After Pospisil and Draxl, of Newmarket, Ont., opened the time with their doubles win, Montreal's Gabriel Diallo past rolled to a 6-1, 6-3 triumph implicit Hungary's Fabian Marozsan astatine IGA Stadium.

Hungary advances to the 2nd circular of qualifiers successful September. Canada has been relegated to the World Group 1 level.

WATCH | Canada levels Davis Cup matchup against Hungary:

Pospisil aboriginal addressed the assemblage and Tennis Canada enforcement Valerie Tetreault presented him with a vessel of maple syrup connected the IGA Stadium indoor hard tribunal to people the occasion.

Pospisil was a mainstay connected Canada's Davis Cup roster for much than a twelve years, representing the state successful 35 ties aft making his archetypal quality successful 2008.

In 2022, helium went 5-2 successful singles and doubles combined to assistance Canada triumph to its first-ever title.

"I don't deliberation I've ever wanted to triumph immoderate much successful my beingness than that rubric that we won there," helium said.

'We'll each cherish what he's done'

Pospisil's 32-27 all-time grounds makes him the second-winningest Canadian successful Davis Cup past down the large Daniel Nestor.

"I don't deliberation there's anybody successful Canadian tennis past who has fixed much to Davis Cup than him," teammate Gabriel Diallo said of Pospisil. "Taking clip distant from the calendar to spell play those ties, adjacent erstwhile helium was young, 20-21 and helium was connected circuit tearing it up.

"Coming into a Davis Cup my archetypal time, it sets the code beauteous overmuch for however important this contention is. We'll each cherish what he's done for this country, the unselfishness that helium had successful the locker room. It's rather inspiring and I tin lone imagination of having the Davis Cup vocation that helium had."

On the ATP Tour, Pospisil reached a career-high No. 25 singles ranking successful 2014.

Pospisil besides made a people disconnected the tribunal arsenic a large advocator for tennis players, joining Novak Djokovic successful founding the Professional Tennis Players Association successful 2019.

"Amazing guy, astonishing career," said Canada squad skipper Frank Dancevic, 1 of 2 radical who knew of Pospisil's forthcoming retirement. "We're gonna miss him for sure. He brought a batch of worth to the squad with his singles and doubles play and his charisma connected and disconnected the court.

"I'm sure, successful 1 mode oregon another, he'll beryllium portion of the squad successful the future."

Pospisil came up clutch respective times successful his last Davis Cup match. He deed a backhand instrumentality down the enactment to person a break-point accidental successful the 2nd set, held disconnected Hungary with his service and deed an ace connected lucifer point.

He isn't definite what the aboriginal holds, but feels assured this clip is close to telephone it quits

"I'll marque a determination connected erstwhile I'll beryllium done with tennis completely. It's not precisely clear, but contiguous is decidedly the past Davis Cup lucifer of my career," helium said. "There are young players coming who are playing truly well, and I request to deliberation astir the adjacent steps successful my life.

"I've played a batch of years successful tennis, truthful for maine this is the close clip to stop."