Eight months after winning Canada’s first Billie Jean King Cup in Seville, Spain, the players of that winning squad — Leylah Annie Fernandez, Gabriela Dabrowski, Marina Stakusic, Eugenie Bouchard, Rebecca Marino, and team captain Heidi el Tabakh - were honoured in a special Tuesday night ceremony at Sobeys Stadium, where they were given their championship rings.
The Canadian squad was bulletproof en route to their historic run to the title last fall. Having raced to the top of Group C with dominant victories against host Spain and Poland, Canada went head-to-head with Czech Republic, a nation that had already won this title 11 times, in the semifinals.
After the two teams split the tightly contested singles rubbers, Fernandez and Dabrowski upset the seven-time Grand Slam-winning duo of Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova in doubles to help Canada secure a place in the final. In the championship match between Canada and Italy, Stakusic overcame Martina Trevisan, then Fernandez clinched the tie with a dominant victory over Jasmine Paolini.
“I just had goosebumps watching that video, reliving that moment,” el Tabakh, who also became the first female captain to lead their team to victory since 2017, told Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae in an on-court interview. “What an incredible week that was, from start to finish. These girls just made history and I couldn't be more proud of each and every one of them. For me to just play a tiny part in that just means the world to me.”
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For Dabrowski, an Ottawa native who last week partnered with Félix Auger-Aliassime to win Canada’s first Olympic medal in 24 years, there is a different kind of feeling that washes over any player when they are tasked with representing their nation in a team competition. “I'm proud to represent Canada alongside a lot of amazing athletes, obviously, at one of the most prestigious sport events in the entire world,” she said of her Olympic experience. “We're so lucky to have the opportunity to compete there, and hopefully, we made you guys proud too.”
Fernandez, who also won the Billie Jean King Cup Heart Award last year, carried the Canadians to victory last November. She won all five of her matches that week, earning victories over reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in the semifinals and future two-time Grand Slam finalist Paolini in the final.
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When asked what she hoped young women would be able to take away from this victory, Fernandez had some words of wisdom for the next generation of players who hope to represent Canada on the international stage: “I think the one thing that I want these young girls, young kids, to take away from our accomplishment would be: Keep working hard, keep having fun, and never let anyone outside of yourself doubt you [or] to put any ceiling above your accomplishments, because anything is possible. You've just got to work hard.”
The WTA's best return to Toronto this summer for the National Bank Open August 4 to 12, 2024 at Sobeys Stadium. 2024 Tickets are on sale. Get your tickets today!
Feature Photo: Peter Power
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