MONTREAL — Vasek Pospisil’s decorated Davis Cup career with Canada is over.
Pospisil teamed up with Liam Draxl to beat Hungary’s Mate Valkusz and Peter Fajta in a must-win doubles match Sunday at the men’s team tennis tournament.
The 34-year-old from Vernon, B.C., announced he’d played his last Davis Cup tie after the match, adding he’ll retire from tennis altogether sometime this year.
“There were a lot of emotions before the match. I didn't want to talk about it before, didn't want it to be a distraction for the team,” Pospisil said next to a surprised Draxl at their post-match news conference. “Just the best memories of my career, playing with the team. Davis Cup means so much to me and these guys meant so much, and playing for your country.
“It just had such a huge, big impact on my career and life.”
Canada ultimately failed to make a comeback and lost 3-2 to Hungary in this weekend’s first-round qualifier.
Pospisil later addressed the crowd and Tennis Canada executive Valerie Tetreault presented him with a bottle of maple syrup on the IGA Stadium indoor hard court to mark the occasion.
Pospisil was a mainstay on Canada’s Davis Cup roster for more than a dozen years, representing the country in 35 ties after making his first appearance in 2008.
In 2022, he went 5-2 in singles and doubles combined to help Canada triumph to its first-ever title.
“I don't think I've ever wanted to win any more in my life than that title that we won there,” he said.
Pospisil’s 32-27 all-time record makes him the second-winningest Canadian in Davis Cup history behind the great Daniel Nestor.
“I don't think there's anybody in Canadian tennis history who has given more to Davis Cup than him,” teammate Gabriel Diallo said of Pospisil. “Taking time away from the calendar to go play those ties, even when he was young, 20-21 and he was on tour tearing it up.
“Coming into a Davis Cup my first time, it sets the tone pretty much for how important this competition is. … We'll all cherish what he's done for this country, the unselfishness that he had in the locker room. It's quite inspiring and I can only dream of having the Davis Cup career that he had."
On the ATP Tour, Pospisil reached a career-high No. 25 singles ranking in 2014.
In doubles, he won Wimbledon alongside American teammate Jack Sock in 2014 and climbed to No. 4 in the world in 2015.
Pospisil also made a mark off the court as a major advocate for tennis players, joining Novak Djokovic in founding the Professional Tennis Players Association in 2019.
"Amazing guy, amazing career,” said Canada team captain Frank Dancevic, one of two people who knew of Pospisil’s forthcoming retirement. “We're gonna miss him for sure. He brought a lot of value to the team with his singles and doubles play and his charisma on and off the court.
“I'm sure, in one way or another, he'll be part of the team in the future."
Pospisil came up clutch several times in his final Davis Cup match. He hit a backhand return down the line to convert a break-point opportunity in the second set, held off Hungary with his serve and hit an ace on match point.
He isn’t sure what the future holds, but feels confident this time is right to call it quits
“I’ll make a decision on when I’ll be done with tennis completely. It’s not exactly clear, but today is definitely the last Davis Cup match of my career,” he said. “There are young players coming who are playing really well, and I need to think about the next steps in my life.
“I’ve played a lot of years in tennis, so for me this is the right time to stop.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 2, 2025.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
