7 Canadians to compete at Wimbledon
When Wimbledon begins in London on Monday, Canada will have seven players in the tournament. Here is a look at who will be playing.
Milos Raonic
During his most recent tournament, the Queen’s Club, Milos Raonic withdrew from competition due to a right pectoral muscle injury. Shortly before, Raonic competed in the Stuttgart Open and advanced all the way to the finals, before falling to Roger Federer in their 14th head-to-head match.
In 2016, Raonic reached the Wimbledon final, after winning his semi-final match against Federer. Raonic will play his first game on Monday against Great Britian’s Liam Broady.
RELATED: Raonic reaches Wimbledon final with semifinal win over Federer
Eugenie Bouchard
After reaching the Wimbledon final in 2014, Eugenie Bouchard has worked hard to find her way back. The Montreal native booked her spot into the main draw this week, after defeating Mariana Duque-Marino of Colombia, the No. 2 qualifying seed favourite. Bouchard will face British player Gabriella Taylor on Tuesday.
Vasek Pospisil
Vasek Pospisil, of Canada, returns to Marin Cilic, of Croatia, during the Miami Open tennis tournament, Sunday, March 25, 2018, in Key Biscayne, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Vasek Pospisil enters Wimbledon unseeded, and will be playing in both the singles and doubles tournament. The 28-year-old athlete will play Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin on Tuesday in men’s singles action. The two have faced each other twice before, with each obtaining a win and a loss. If Pospisil wins his match, he could face Rafael Nadal next. Pospisil was crowned doubles champion in 2014 and reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals the next year.
Denis Shapovalov
Denis Shapovalov of Canada celebrates after defeating Kyle Edmund of Britain 7-5, 6-7, 6-4 during the Madrid Open Tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Friday, May 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Paul White)
In May, Denis Shapovalov competed in the Madrid Open and achieved his best result of the season so far. He advanced to the semi-finals, where he lost to Alexander Zverev, the eventual tournament winner. The 19-year-old is currently ranked 26th in the world, and is the 28th seed at Wimbledon. On Tuesday Shapovalov will play Frenchman Jeremy Chardy.
RELATED: By the numbers: How Shapovalov mirrors some of the best in tennis
Peter Polansky
Peter Polansky, of Canada, plays a shot to Vasek Pospisil, also of Canada, during their first round match at the Rogers Cup tennis tournament in Montreal, Monday, August 7, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
In the final round of qualifying play, Peter Polansky competed against Australian Jason Kubler, losing in four sets. However, for the third consecutive Grand Slam, Polansky has received a spot in the main draw as a lucky loser. He will face Austria’s Dennis Novak on Monday. If he reaches the third round, Polansky could face fellow Canadian Raonic. Polansky is currently ranked 110th in the world, and he looks to crack the top 100 for the first time in his career.
Doubles
In doubles action, Gabriela Dabrowski and China’s Yifan Xu are the sixth seeds. The pair is currently competing in the pre-Wimbledon tournament, Eastbourne International. Dabrowski has not won a women’s doubles title yet in her career. Earlier this year, at the the Australian Open, she won her second mixed doubles title. Dabrowski and Xu will play Olga Savchuk and Alison Riske on Wednesday.
Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski, left, and Croatia’s Mate Pavic kiss their trophy after defeating Hungary’s Timea Babos and India’s Rohan Bopanna in the mixed doubles final at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018. Dabrowski is two wins away from capturing her second Grand Slam mixed doubles title in a row.THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Vincent Thian
In his final year of competition, Daniel Nestor and his teammate, Austrian Jürgen Melzer received a Wild Card entry into the men’s doubles. Nestor announced back in September that 2018 will be his last season on the professional tennis tour circuit. He has won two men’s doubles titles at Wimbledon (2008 and 2009), along with his 2013 mixed doubles title. They will play Alexander Peya and Nikola Mektic on Wednesday to start the tournament.
Pospisil will also compete in men’s doubles on Wednesday. He will play with American Ryan Harrison. The two will face the German pair of Philipp Petzschner and Tim Pütz.
Wimbledon play begins on Monday and continues through to July 15.
