From 'lucky losers' to champions: How Felix Auger-Aliassime, Denis Shapovalov, and others helped Canada script history

The 2022 Canadian Davis Cup team won their maiden title on Sunday on the back of impressive performances from Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime in the final against Australia. Canada's run during last week's Davis Cup Finals in Malaga was impressive. But this campaign will go down as one of the most incredible stories in the tournament's history as they went from the elimination to becoming champions.

Back in March, the Canadian team comprising four players outside the top 100 in the rankings and without any of their top players was knocked out of the 2022 Davis Cup in the qualifying round with a loss to the Netherlands in The Hague. Less than two weeks later, the International Tennis Federation banned Russia from all team events, in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. As a result, Canada qualified for the next round as a 'lucky loser', replacing Russia in the 16-team group stage in September.

Canada were then drawn to face South Korea, Spain, and Serbia in the round-robin stage and used their new lease on life to significant effect. They lost to Serbia but, boosted by the return of Auger-Aliassime, they edged both Spain and South Korea 2-1 in their respective three-match ties to reach the quarterfinals. Auger-Aliassime stunned World No. 1, Carlos Alcaraz, in the tie against Spain.

The Canadians then received another big boost in the form of Denis Shapovalov for last week's quarterfinals round, with the team comprising of Shapovalov, Auger-Aliassime, and Vasek Pospisil, among others, suddenly tipped to be among the favorites. Auger-Aliassime carried his stellar run of form at the end of the ATP season into the Davis Cup Finals, winning all his matches en route to the title.

Canada made a comeback after Shapovalov lost his singles match to beat Germany 2-1 in the quarter-finals before Auger-Aliassime excelled in both singles and doubles against a strong Italian team to take his side into the final against Australia.

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Canada dominate Australia to win 2022 Davis Cup title

Nitto ATP Finals - Day Three

Canada faced an Australian team comprising Thanasi Kokkinakis, Alex de Minaur, Jordan Thompson, and Max Purcell in the final, with Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime taking on Kokkinakis and de Minaur, respectively, in the singles matches.

Shapovalov gave Canada a dream start with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Kokkinakis before Auger-Aliassime continued his unbeaten run with a 6-3, 6-2 win over de Minaur. The star duo's dominant victories meant that the doubles match was not needed and Canada won their maiden title in the prestigious world team event.

Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov won the senior title seven years after winning the Junior Davis Cup together. 22-year-old Auger-Aliassime reflected on the achievement and also revealed that he and Shapovalov dreamt of winning the senior title for their country on the day they won the junior title.

"It's much bigger, of course," Auger-Aliassime said in a press conference on Sunday. "But at the time, you know, we were kids. It was like a dream also. I remember like we were just, like, We won it. Felt like it was the real one."

"I remember, yeah, it was the first one in any, like, Davis Cup junior or normal one. But I remember us thinking, like, yeah, we are 15, 16, and, like, we just won Junior Davis Cup, projecting ourselves winning this one day," he added.