Canadian Club: Pospisil's extensive support system

“Canada has gone into a different gear when it comes to tennis, it’s like a different country. There were many people who didn’t know how to count scores. Now look how big tennis is, and new facilities [being] built. It sure would have been nice years ago.

“When Vasek won his first Futures doubles title [in early 2007], nobody knew what was going to happen then.”—Mila Pospisil, Vasek’s mother

What began as humble tennis beginnings in the small town of Vernon, British Columbia has taken Vasek Pospisil to tenacious heights on the pro tour. The 25-year-old has found himself among the very best players in the world and part of a recent wave of Canadian success. Milos Raonic and Eugenie Bouchard may be better known and have both already cracked the Top 10, but Pospisil isn’t far behind. He’s been inside the Top 25 in singles and owns a doubles Grand Slam title, won last year when he and Jack Sock stunned the Bryan brothers at Wimbledon.

“We are so proud of Vasek, how he’s handling everything and how hard he has worked, because I know he was always a hard worker,” says Mila. “Everything is just coming into place.”

An abundance of support has helped Pospisil succeed in a lonely game, starting with his family. Mila and Vasek’s father, Milos, are Czechoslovakian natives and left the communist regime to eventually settle with their two boys in Vernon in 1989 (Milos had family there already). Vasek was born a year later, at which point Milos, a recreational player, became immersed in tennis. He took on coaching his sons and continued working with Vasek for most of his early career.

The family made substantial sacrifices to help their youngest son succeed, including a move apart. Mila and Vasek (and his two older brothers) relocated to Vancouver for more serious training when Vasek was just 12, while Milos would make the four-and-a-half hour commute on weekends so he could keep his job at a local Vernon brewery during the week.

It was not the first time Vasek would be far away from home in the name of tennis. During his junior and early professional career, he alternatively trained in Vancouver, the Czech Republic (at the Czech National Training Centre) and Florida. It paid off: Vasek reached a career-high junior ranking of No. 24 (No. 2 in doubles), and in 2008 was approached by the agency SFX (now Lagardere Unlimited), signing his way into professional tennis.

The college route was never a very serious option for Vasek. “Since he was very little, he always said he wants to be a tennis player,” Mila says. “I remember we said how about you have some kind of backup plan. He said, ‘No, no, I don’t have any backup plan because I want to be a tennis player.’”

While Vasek was making determined moves toward pro success, his national governing body was catching up. In 2006, Tennis Canada hired a new head of development, Frenchman Louis Borfiga, and in late 2007 opened a new National Training Centre in Montreal. Borfiga was a crucial addition. He held a similar role at the National Training Centre in Paris, coached top French players like Gael Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and played a direct role in forming the facility.

Hatem McDadi, the vice president of development for Tennis Canada, says the National Training Centre was a “key ingredient” to the nation’s recent run of success.

“When you look around the world, especially in leading nations, grouping the best athletes together is a common practice. Look at France as an example, national training centers are well established,” McDadi says. “We needed to give our kids a competitive edge, giving them the resources and competitive coaching environment in one place, with education.”

In 2010, Tennis Canada suggested that ex-pro Frederick Niemeyer assist Vasek with the next stage of his career. This meant relocating his training base to the National Training Centre in Montreal. Niemeyer worked and traveled with Vasek for two years before leaving to stay closer to his growing family. After more discussion with Tennis Canada, Frenchman Frederick Fontang, who had formerly coached Jeremy Chardy, came on board.

At the time, Vasek was hovering just outside the Top 100 and had some Pro Circuit success under his belt. But Fontang pushed him to the next level, making technical and lifestyle changes—especially regarding nutrition and injury prevention—to turn the then-22-year-old into a serious professional. A bout of mononucleosis set Vasek back temporarily, but fortified his dedication to a more regimented diet (starting with cutting out unhealthy meals like pizza and fried foods).

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In 2013, the 6’4’’ right-hander had his breakthrough in the country that believed in him so much. In front of a home crowd at the Rogers Cup in Montreal, Vasek reached the semifinals as a wild card, upsetting John Isner and Tomas Berdych along the way. (It was a strong showing for Tennis Canada, too—Pospisil was ultimately defeated by Raonic.) Vasek finished his first year with Fontang ranked No. 32.

“It’s a combination of a lot of things, his work ethic, how hard he’s been working. And also, how quickly he has always been. He’s smart. He’s a quick learner,” Mila says about her son’s progress. “[Vasek and Fontang] knew they had to work on certain things, his fitness, his nutrition, adjustments on his strokes and everything. It all just fell in place.”

Now ranked No. 47, one of Vasek’s greatest obstacles is staying healthy. After a run to the Wimbledon quarterfinals in singles this summer, Vasek pulled out of Davis Cup and couldn’t compete for a few weeks due to a wrist injury. He’s been hindered by a lingering back problem in the past, and his proneness to injury puts stress on his already busy schedule.

The Canadian hit a career-high doubles ranking of No. 4 this April, and talk of focusing on one draw seems to follow Vasek at every tournament. He’s always enjoyed playing doubles, says Mila, but as he goes deeper into singles draws, the task of juggling both gets tougher. This week in Cincinnati, Vasek won two matches in qualifying and his first-round contest over Denis Kudla before falling to Grigor Dimtrov, and played doubles with Sock.

“He’s been as high as No. 25, and once you know you can be No. 25 there’s no doubt you’re in the ball park of Top 10. He needs to stay injury free and have the confidence,” McDadi says. “It’s definitely within reach.”

If Vasek is to get there, it will be a team effort, just as it’s been throughout his career.

“You have to give his family credit, his dad especially, because he did coach Vasek,” McDadi says. “It’s an amazing story. I would say that it’s a lot of determination from the family.”