Eight months after successful Canada’s first Billie Jean King Cup in Seville, Spain, the gamers of that successful squad — Leylah Annie Fernandez, Gabriela Dabrowski, Marina Stakusic, Eugenie Bouchard, Rebecca Marino, and workforce captain Heidi el Tabakh – have been honoured in a particular Tuesday night time ceremony at Sobeys Stadium, the place they got their championship rings.
The Canadian squad was bulletproof en path to their historic run to the title final fall. Having raced to the highest of Group C with dominant victories towards host Spain and Poland, Canada went head-to-head with Czech Republic, a nation that had already gained this title 11 occasions, within the semifinals.
After the 2 groups break up 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 assist Canada safe a spot within the ultimate. Within the championship match between Canada and Italy, Stakusic overcame Martina Trevisan, then Fernandez clinched the tie with a dominant victory over Jasmine Paolini.
“I simply had goosebumps watching that video, reliving that second,” el Tabakh, who additionally grew to become the primary feminine captain to steer their workforce to victory since 2017, advised Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae in an on-court interview. “What an unbelievable week that was, from begin to end. These women simply made historical past and I could not be extra pleased with each considered one of them. For me to simply play a tiny half in that simply means the world to me.”
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For Dabrowski, an Ottawa native who final week partnered with Félix Auger-Aliassime to win Canada’s first Olympic medal in 24 years, there’s a totally different form of feeling that washes over any participant when they’re tasked with representing their nation in a workforce competitors. “I am proud to symbolize Canada alongside a whole lot of superb athletes, clearly, at one of the crucial prestigious sport occasions in the whole world,” she mentioned of her Olympic expertise. “We’re so fortunate to have the chance to compete there, and hopefully, we made you guys proud too.”
Fernandez, who additionally gained the Billie Jean King Cup Coronary heart Award final 12 months, carried the Canadians to victory final November. She gained all 5 of her matches that week, incomes victories over reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova within the semifinals and future two-time Grand Slam finalist Paolini within the ultimate.
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When requested what she hoped younger girls would be capable of take away from this victory, Fernandez had some phrases of knowledge for the subsequent era of gamers who hope to symbolize Canada on the worldwide stage: “I believe the one factor that I need these younger women, younger children, to remove from our accomplishment can be: Hold working onerous, preserve having enjoyable, and by no means let anybody exterior of your self doubt you [or] to place any ceiling above your accomplishments, as a result of something is feasible. You have simply set to work onerous.”
The WTA’s greatest return to Toronto this summer season for the Nationwide Financial institution Open August 4 to 12, 2024 at Sobeys Stadium. 2024 Tickets are on sale. Get your tickets as we speak!
Function Photograph: Peter Energy
