Davis Cup: Team Canada Returns With Championship Lineup In Manchester

The band is finally back together.

For the first time since hoisting the trophy in November 2022, Canada is sending the same combination of players that claimed the title to a Davis Cup tie as Félix Auger-Aliassime, Denis Shapovalov, Gabriel Diallo, Alexis Galarneau, and Vasek Pospisil will be representing the great white north at the upcoming Davis Cup Finals group stage in Manchester.

Ahead of the upcoming ties, let’s catch up with the men who will be donning the red and white.

*Rankings are from before the US Open

The last ball Auger-Aliassime struck for Team Canada in Davis Cup competition was a big forehand that drew an error from Alex de Minaur to clinch the 2022 title for Canada.

While he was on the team last November in Malaga, injuries prevented the Canadian No. 1 from competing, meaning Manchester will be his first time playing for Canada since that historic victory in 2022. The Montrealer is currently on a five-match winning streak at the Davis Cup.

Ever since his hot run to end that season, it has been a roller coaster for Auger-Aliassime. In 2024, he reached his first Masters 1000 final in Madrid and had an impressive Olympic run, winning bronze in mixed doubles and finishing fourth in singles. But he has also had some struggles, including a recent first-round loss at the US Open.

Surely he will be happy to be back on the indoor hard courts, where he has been among the world’s best over the last two years. All five of his career ATP Tour titles are on the surface and he was almost unbeatable indoors in the fall of 2022, going 17-5 in the fall indoors, beating then-world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz twice.

That spectacular run in the fall of 2022 started with a strong performance at the Davis Cup Finals group stage. He will hope for a repeat in 2024.

Like Auger-Aliassime, the last time Shapovalov played a match for Team Canada at the Davis Cup was during the final of the 2022 campaign when he beat Thanasi Kokkinakis in straight sets to set up the Montrealer’s title-sealing win.

Shapovalov was a part of the team that dominated the group stage in Bologna last year but a knee injury kept him on the bench. His 2024 season has been a tough comeback from that injury.

He has had some good flashes, including reaching the third round of big tournaments like Miami, Madrid, Roland-Garros, and Wimbledon, but consistency has eluded the former world No. 10. Now ranked just outside the Top 100, Shapovalov is searching for wins in Manchester as he arrives on a three-match losing streak, including a first-round loss at the US Open.

Also like his countryman, Shapovalov should enjoy the conditions in Manchester. His aggressive game is well suited to the quick, indoor surface where the team will be playing. He has succeeded indoors for Canada at Davis Cup in the past, most famously at the 2019 Finals when he carried the country to their first final in a century.

Diallo is the hot hand for Canada coming into Manchester, fresh off a career-best run a tour-level event. And not just any event, his first time winning consecutive matches on the main tour (outside of Davis Cup) happened to come at the Grand Slam level as he reached the last 32 of the US Open as a qualifier.

Having made his debut in the 2022 group stage, the 22-year-old’s breakthrough came during Canada’s 2023 campaign where he played the role of singles No. 1 in all three group stage ties and in the Final 8 quarter-finals.

In Bologna, he went 2-1 as the Canadian No. 1 including his first Top 20 victory over Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets despite the Italian being 130 spots above him in the rankings and playing in front of a home crowd.

Arriving in Manchester fresh off his run in New York, which included another Top 30 win over Arthur Fils, and with an ATP Challenger title earlier in the summer, he will be at a career-high ranking just outside the Top 100 on Monday ahead of the beginning of the group stage.

All five of Galarneau’s victories in Davis Cup play came last year in the group stage when he delivered an all-time performance with two singles wins over players ranked at least 75 spots above him, including a Top 40 win over Lorenzo Sonego, and won all three of his doubles matches as Canada topped the group.

Injuries delayed the start of the season for the Lavalois, who actually played his first match of the year in Davis Cup during Canada’s qualifying round tie with South Korea in Montreal. He and Vasek Pospisil were beaten in the doubles match.

Early in the comeback, Galarneau had a hot run where he reached the quarter-finals at four consecutive ATP Challenger events, all in Mexico, in March/April, including a final in Mexico City. He reached two more quarter-finals in the spring and very nearly qualified for the National Bank Open in Montreal, losing a heartbreaker in a third-set tiebreak in the final round of qualifying.

Galarneau was added late to the team for the upcoming group stage as a replacement for the injured Milos Raonic. He has not missed a Davis Cup tie for Canada since making his debut in the 2022 qualifiers.

Team Canada just would not feel complete without its current stalwart. Pospisil has missed just four ties since 2011 and has not skipped one in over two years.

Injuries have started to catch up with the 33-year-old in 2024, limiting him to just 18 total matches this year. He did not play from April to July and has only played two matches at the top level of the tour this year, both on home soil.

His lone main-tour match win this year did come in Davis Cup play though, beating Seongchan Hong in straight sets during Canada’s qualifying round win over Korea.

Even though he is arriving in Manchester without much match play, Pospisil has always found another gear when representing his country. Look no further than the group stage last year when he went 4-0.

Canada’s first match in the Davis Cup Finals group stage is on Sep. 10 against Argentina. They face Finland on Sep. 12 and finally the hosts Great Britain on Sep. 15.