History did not repeat itself for Canada and Germany at the Davis Cup Final 8 in Malaga.
There were a lot of parallels between the 2022 and 2024 quarter-finals. Two of the scheduled matchups were the same (although one was not played). Germany won the opening singles match. Jan-Lennard Struff beat Denis Shapovalov in a third-set tiebreak.
But there were lots of critical differences too. And the element of the 2022 clash that Canada wanted most, the win, did not happen again.
“That’s the way it goes. I think that overall Davis Cup is never easy. There is always ups and downs,” said Team Canada captain Frank Dancevic in his post-tie press conference.
It is Canada’s second straight quarter-final exit in Malaga.
The second singles match was a direct rematch of 2022, with Shapovalov and Struff lining up across the net once again. While the order of the sets was different, the ultimate result was the same: a three-set win for the German.
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“Definitely very disappointed for the team. I feel like I let them down, especially I felt like I had the match in my hands, had a lot of chances,” said Shapovalov. “It just slipped away from me, so it’s definitely a tough one.”
“I thought it was really good quality. The guys played great tennis. I mean, Struff, he’s playing really good on these courts with his serve. It suits his game, this kind of surface,” analyzed Dancevic. “It comes down to a couple of points. Overall it was a great match with Denis and at this level, when two guys are playing really well, there is really little room for error from each side, and there is a little bit of luck that’s factored into that.”
When asked if he thought at all about the 2022 quarter-final loss to Struff, who now leads their head-to-head 7-3, Shapovalov admitted, “I didn’t look at that match at all. It was almost two years ago. Things are much different now. We’re different players. A lot of time goes by. I know how he plays, so it’s not much to look from that match.”
Had the Canadian No. 1 pulled out the match with Struff, the doubles would have been a rematch of the decisive rubber in 2022 which pitted Shapovalov and Vasek Pospisil against Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz. That match was won by the Canadians, but they did not get a chance to repeat the feat in 2024.
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The only match on the order of play that was not a rematch from the 2022 quarter-final was the opener between Gabriel Diallo and Daniel Altmaier. Even though it was a different matchup from two years ago, the result was the same as Germany took the lead with a win, this time courtesy of Altmaier.
“I wasn’t quite as maybe loose as I wanted. It was quite patchy. Some bits and pieces, moments where I was playing well; moments where I was a little bit more scrappy,” said Diallo of his performance. “But sometimes that’s how it goes. Sometimes the moment gets a little bit to you. Today, in some moments, it got to me and I didn’t manage to find my rhythm and find my strides to get a win.”
In the eyes of Dancevic, “it was a lot of tension in the first match with Gab and Altmaier. They both came out really tentative. They didn’t snap out of it the whole match, actually.”
Even in defeat though, Dancevic wrapped up Canada’s 2024 stay in Malaga by praising his team and professing optimism for 2025.
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“I’m really proud of the guys this week the way they fought out there. That’s all I can ask for as a captain. Next year we’re going to come back stronger and try to make a run once again hopefully.”
Canada will play in the qualifying round in February. They will learn their opponent and location in the coming weeks. Canada hosted the Republic of Korea in Montreal last February.
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