The Baseline Awards: Patriotic Performance

WATCH: Félix Auger-Aliassime defeats Alex de Minaur in the 2022 Davis Cup Finals Final Match Point.

Any time tennis players get some form of acknowledgement from their nation’s leader, you know they’ve done something right.

At the beginning of 2022, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was sending shout-outs on the social media landscape to his nation’s top tennis stars for their victory at the ATP Cup team event. Led by Denis Shapovalov and Félix Auger-Aliassime, the eighth-seeded squad eked out a win in the semis against Russia, then swept Spain in the final.

In the next major team event, the Davis Cup, the 2019 finalists actually lost their first tie, but got into the finals by way of a wild card. They advanced to the knockout round by finishing second in their group in qualifying play, which included a thrilling come-from behind doubles win by Auger-Aliassime and Vasek Pospisil against Spain.

In the quarterfinals, Canada got by Germany 2-1, then followed that up with a similar score against Italy in the semifinals to set up a final against Australia. Shapovalov got the team off to a perfect start with a straight-sets win against Thanasi Kokkinakis. Auger-Aliassime—arguably the player of the fall—then clinched it by topping Alex De Minaur, also in straights.

With the win, Shapovalov and Auger-Aliassime accomplished something that had never been done before, becoming the first pair of teammates to triumph in the junior and senior editions of the tournament together.

Given their perfect blend of youth and experience, the Canadian team can be set for more history-making moves in the years to come.