Canadian tennis' future shines bright

Earlier this month, Milos Raonic became the first Canadian male to reach a Grand Slam final, but the northern nation was on the rise long before his breakthrough, and the future is looking vibrant. On Monday night, as a wild-card entry into Toronto, 17-year-old Denis Shapovalov upset No. 11 seed Nick Kyrgios, 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-3, for his first-ever ATP win.

A country that has never produced a major singles champion watched Eugenie Bouchard shoot up to No. 5 in 2014, and Raonic hit No. 4 in 2015. The duo’s rapid rise to global stardom finally gave Canada a reason to notice tennis.

“It’s a great time for the grass-roots level of tennis [in Canada],” Raonic told Baseline earlier this year. “I think the participation level has gone up. I think that the demand for viewership and even just broadcasting channels have stepped up to display tennis. I think pretty much every tournament [Canadians] are, or I am, competing at, is covered...”

While Bouchard has slipped to No. 42, Raonic has held strong. He’ll be the fourth seed in Montreal this week, while Bouchard has been dealt a tough opener in Lucie Safarova.

In addition to Raonic, the Toronto main draw includes Vasek Pospisil, who had his own breakthrough at Wimbledon last year, reaching the quarters. (He won the Wimbledon doubles title in 2014 with Jack Sock.) Ranked No. 25 in 2014, Pospisil has fallen just out of the Top 100, but the 25-year-old will still head to the Olympics alongside Bouchard, Daniel Nestor and Gabriela Dabrowski. (Raonic withdrew citing Zika concerns.)

Behind the leading stars are a couple of juniors poised to make noise of their own. Shapovalov is the world’s second-best junior after winning Wimbledon as the fifth seed. He teamed up with fellow Canadian Felix Augur-Aliassime to reach the boys’ doubles Wimbledon final. Based in Ontario, Shapovalov trains out of TessaTennis, a club his mother (and childhood coach) started.

Raonic has been a huge source of motivation for the 17-year-old.

“Obviously I look up to [Raonic]," Shapovalov said at Wimbledon. “He's my inspiration. Before that, there were not many Canadians doing as good as he was. For sure it brings hope into my eyes. I hope to be like him one day.”

But the world No. 374 has an eye on the future.

“As you can see, Canadian tennis is moving forward a lot,” Shapovalov said. “Hopefully it doesn't stop here. I mean, hopefully even the next generation, they start seeing that it's possible. They start working harder, too. Hopefully in the future, we'll have more Grand Slam champions.”

The federation-controlled system isn't for everyone, but one of the biggest changes in Canada’s player development was the opening of the National Training Center (NTC) in Montreal in 2007, under the leadership of Louis Borfiga. The vice president of Tennis Canada’s high-performance development came in from France, where he was the director of the National Training Center for 16 years. He also coached top talents Gael Monfils, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gilles Simon.

“I’d say the biggest contribution to [Canada’s success] would have been,probably, when Borfiga came from France,"Pospisil told Baseline earlier this season. "Because then he made tons of decisions, brought in good coaching, made the NTC."

If anyone knows what Canadian tennis was like before the NTC, it’s Dejan Cvetkovic. He was once Canada’s best junior (winning nationals six times), and reached No. 605 on the pro tour. But he struggled with finances before accepting a full scholarship to the University of Southern California in 2005 (where he played No. 1).

“The main difference is that Tennis Canada started focusing more on player development,"  the 31-year-old told Baseline. "They created training centers and started funding junior development much more. The federation also went and hired some of the best developmental coaches in the world and brought them back to Canada to work specifically with the top juniors.”

Cvetkovic coached juniors in British Columbia before the NTC opened, and now works privately with a top under-12 junior player in Florida.

“The top three or four junior players in Canada can have all expenses paid for,” Cvetkovic said. “They have the ability to train together, creating healthy competition, motivation and a sense of camaraderie.”

Benjamin Sigouin, a rising Vancouver junior hot on the heels of Shapovalov at No. 12, rose up thanks to the NTC.

The approach worked for American tennis when IMG Academy housed future No. 1s Andre Agassi and Jim Courier at the same time. It’s what the USTA is trying to emulate with teens Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Reilly Opelka and Frances Tiafoe. (The USTA National Campus is set to open in Orlando this year.)

A training center doesn’t only create a competitive environment; it also gives players crucial resources. Though Pospisil is based in Florida, he worked with Tennis Canada coach Frederic Niemeyer in 2011, and trained at the NTC for parts of the season as he closed in on the Top 100. Then Borfiga led Pospisil to Frederic Fontang, who propelled the 25-year-old into the Top 30 in 2014.

“I wasn’t really part of the NTC,” Pospisil said. “But Borfiga helped me because he got me some great coaches … When it comes down to it, coaching is probably the most important thing. When the good coaches started coming in, I think that’s when the difference was made [for Canada].”

Niemeyer is now working with 15-year-old Auger-Aliassime at the NTC. The Montreal native is ranked No. 5 among junior players—having reached the French Open final earlier this summer—and No. 780 on the ATP tour. He was the last direct acceptance in Toronto, falling in the first round of qualifying.

Auguer-Aliassime will play doubles on Tuesday with his Wimbledon partner, Shapovalov, opening against Viktor Troicki and Bernard Tomic.

The future is looking bright for a nation once accustomed to only thriving in winter sports.

“I think now, be it coincidence or good coaching, it’s a combination of everything, for sure,” Pospisil said. “But now there’s a young generation of Canadians that seem to be making some noise, and some people are talking about them. We’ll see how they progress. It’s pretty exciting.”