Pospisil Relieved and Grateful as Career Ends in…

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Vasek Pospisil always knew he was going to feel a lot of emotions after playing the final singles match of his accomplished career. But there was one prevailing emotion that he did not expect to feel: immense relief.

Sunday night marked the bittersweet conclusion to the playing career of the Vernon, British Columbia native, whose big serve, booming forehand and megawatt smile endeared him to Canadian fans from coast-to-coast.

Since leading Canada to the nation’s first-ever Davis Cup title in 2022, Pospisil’s progress back to competing at the highest level has been stymied by recurring injuries and health issues. After retiring from Davis Cup earlier this year, Pospisil announced that he was ready to hang up his racquet after one last dance on home soil at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers — the same event where he truly burst onto the professional scene as a 23-year-old in 2013 when he reached the semifinals in Montreal.

Rather than quietly retiring from competition a few months ago, Pospisil wanted to play one last event in front of his family and friends, who have been instrumental in his success. “Honestly, I really wanted my parents to be at my last match … because it's been such a family journey,” the 35-year-old told reporters of his parents, Mila and Milos. “They sacrificed so much for me. My dad as well — he quit his job, he coached me for 15 years. He was, in some ways, more invested in this than I was. It was just as much his journey as it was mine.”

Facing off against Argentinian qualifier Facundo Bagnis for the first time, Pospisil showed signs of the aggressive, first-strike tennis that had once propelled him inside the world’s Top 25. But in the fifth game of the match, Pospisil tweaked a muscle in his left upper thigh, which significantly hindered his lateral movement.

“Going into the match, I was really, really nervous, probably more than most times that I step on a center court,” said Pospisil, who admitted that the reality of closing a significant chapter of his life had just begun to hit him this week. “I don't know if it was the nerves being the reason for pulling my muscle. I'm sure it played a big role in that — I was very tense. I knew I just needed to play 5, 10 more minutes to loosen up a little bit.”

After receiving some off-court treatment, Pospisil quickly fell down a set and a break multiple times. But the Canadian gave his home fans something to cheer about; with some impressive, go-for-broke shot-making, he was able to force a final set. In the end, however, Bagnis’ ability to push Pospisil into the corners with his big lefty forehand proved to be too much for the latter to handle.

“I snuck out that second set. He didn't play a great second set. I played a couple good shots when I needed to. Ultimately, it's kind of tough to win a match like that on one leg,” Pospisil said with a wry smile. “Of course, I wasn't going to retire or pull out. I had to finish my last match.”

As he stepped to the baseline to play the final points of his career, Pospisil grew visibly emotional. But it was only after the match, while watching a video package prepared by Tennis Canada, that Pospisil really began to watch his career flash before his eyes.

“It’s just an incredible journey. I’m so grateful, honestly, [for] the career I’ve had, the opportunities this sport has given me, the people I’ve met along the way that are friends for life,” Pospisil told Arash Madani in an on-court interview during his retirement ceremony. “Coming from a small town in B.C., [becoming a pro] felt like a bit of a pipe dream. Back then, it felt like a completely different world. And one thing leads to another — you start improving and playing some small tournaments, bigger tournaments, and suddenly you’re here. And it’s easy to lose perspective sometimes that this is truly a dream come true for me.”

In his final remarks to Canadian fans, Pospisil promised to remain connected to tennis. But, in truth, he is still deciding just how involved he would like to be after spending the better part of the last three decades dedicating himself to little else besides the sport.

“I don't know if I have it in me to be around the sport too much, unless it's really to help, to give back to the community or juniors that are maybe less privileged, that don't have opportunities, because I can connect with [that] if they're good people,” Pospisil admitted. “But, do I want to stay in tennis on a full-time basis? Absolutely not. I have mixed emotions when it comes to this sport. It takes a lot out of you. It's a really, really tough sport, physically and mentally, and at some point you burn out — at least I did. So we'll see.”

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Feature Photo : Tyler Anderson