Vasek Pospisil has always put the maple leaf above everything else. In many ways the Vernon tennis pro has defined his career by his international performances with Team Canada.
So it was fitting that the final match of his career took place on home soil.
Pospisil, 35, brought his career to a close at the National Bank Open in Toronto, where on Sunday he fell to another 35-year-old, Facundo Bagnis of Argentina. After dropping the first set 6-2 and pulling a leg muscle in the fifth game, a hobbled Pospisil gutted out a 6-3 second set win before ultimately falling 6-3 in the decisive third set.
The crowd showered support upon Pospisil, whose career peaked with a world No. 25 ranking in singles and No. 4 in doubles.
Eighteen years of professional tennis. Looking forward to playing in front of you one last time in Toronto 馃槍
SA国际影视传媒� Vasek Pospisil (@VasekPospisil)
From his six doubles titles on the ATP Tour SA国际影视传媒� including at Indian Wells in 2015 and Wimbledon in 2014 alongside American Jack Sock SA国际影视传媒� it's been an illustrious career, one that was hard to say goodbye to even if he's ready for a reprieve from the daily grind.
"I wasn't obviously sure how I was going to feel after the match," Pospisil said in a post-match press conference. "I was thinking that I was ready to retire but now that it's done I know that I'm very relieved, and I'm happy that it's in some ways behind me. I wish I could have not pulled my muscle in the fifth game of the match and enjoyed the match a bit more, but it was still very special to finish here in Canada."
Pospisil's final match was a first-round bout, but with retirement looming he said it was one of the most nerve-racking times he's stepped on a tennis court SA国际影视传媒� this from a man who reached the Wimbledon singles quarterfinals and three other tour-level singles finals in his career.
He seemed pleased with his final effort given the injury he sustained early on.
"I played a couple good shots when I needed to (in the second set) but ultimately it's kind of tough to win a match like that, you know, on one leg. But of course I wasn't going to retire or pull out, I had to finish my last match," he said with a big laugh.
Pospisil has earned the nickname Mr. Davis Cup for good reason. He's been a force for Team Canada throughout his career, with no greater achievement for his country than in 2022, when alongside F茅lix Auger-Aliassime, Denis Shapovalov, Gabriel Diallo, Alexis Galarneau and captain Frank Dancevic, he helped win Canada its first Davis Cup trophy, leading the team to four doubles wins at the Finals.
He represented Canada twice at the Olympics: London 2012 and Rio 2016.
Indeed, he took every opportunity available to him to don the maple leaf, even to the detriment of his individual career as he would forego rest weeks when many other players would save themselves for the more lucrative tournaments.
In his retirement presser, Pospisil seemed puzzled as to why any player on tour would miss an opportunity to represent their country.
"What's the point of this sport if you're not going to play for your country? I don't understand players that don't play Davis Cup and don't play Olympics, I genuinely don't," he said. "Unfortunately, a lot of times I think it comes down to money for these guys, and that's just not the right way to look at it ... I think (competing for your country) should be a default setting for everybody."
It's been a lengthy career. A taxing one. Pospisil divulged that he's been ready for retirement for months, but he held out for one last chance to compete in front of friends and family.
"I really wanted my parents to be at my last match ... because it's been such a family journey. They sacrificed so much for me. My dad as well, quit his job, he coached me for 15 years, he was in some ways more invested in this than I was," he said. "It was just as much his journey as it was mine."
Asked what advice he'd give to younger players, Pospisil said it comes down to maintaining a strong work ethic through the high times and the low times, and when you have good people around you, "keep them close."
In his highly jovial press conference, Pospisil took a moment to imagine the mark he's left on Canadian tennis.
"It's pretty cool to see so many young guys and young talent that we have that maybe looked up to me when they were growing up, and now they're here playing at the high level. It's an exciting time for tennis in Canada for I think at least the next 10 years. It will be fun to watch, for me and for all of the fans in Canada."
