Improved Diallo Capping Off Career Year at Davis Cup – Tennis Canada

Even at just 23 years old, in only his second year as a professional tennis player, the Davis Cup already holds a special place in Gabriel Diallo’s heart.  

“It’s like the first time. I always have butterflies in my stomach when I’m called to play Davis Cup,” Diallo told the media on Tuesday ahead of the 2024 Davis Cup Finals in Malaga. 

“It’s always an honour for me. For me, the biggest honour in sport is to represent your country, whatever sport you play. To get the call, to put on the colours of your country, to play with Canada behind you, I’m looking forward to it.” 

Diallo will be a member of Team Canada for the seventh time next week as part of the Canadian squad that aims to win their second Davis Cup title in three years. The Montrealer’s first year as part of the team was the world championship 2022 campaign. 

Ever since his first nomination at the 2022 Davis Cup Finals Group Stage, where he made his debut in Canada’s third tie against Serbia, Diallo has not missed an opportunity to suit up for his country, 

“This nation has done an enormous amount for me in supporting me,” said Diallo. “Without this nation, I would never have had the great moments I’ve had on court so I owe it to them to participate in team events like this.”  

Even though he was part of the 2022 championship team, Diallo’s real breakthrough for the national team came the following season. In 2023, the former NCAA star played the role of Canadian singles No. 1 in every tie for Team Canada in the group stage and Final 8, including his first Top 40 win against Lorenzo Musetti as the Canadians upset the eventual champions Italy in the group stage. He then put the team on his back earlier this year, winning a pair of singles matches in his hometown to lift Canada past the Republic of Korea in the qualifying round. 

Now he arrives in Malaga at the end of a career year that saw him qualify for his first Grand Slam at Roland-Garros, reach the third round of a major for the first time at the US Open, enter the Top 100 of the ATP rankings, and reach his first tour-level final at the ATP 250 event in Almaty, Kazakhstan.  

When asked how things have changed over the last year, Diallo explained, “I’m playing the best tennis of my career. That’s a positive. But it also comes with more responsibility, more expectations, more pressure. The more your ranking increases, the more people, the country, sponsors, even you expect more of yourself. I think that is going to be something I’m going to learn to manage.”  

At just 23 years old, Diallo has made good progress in his development after turning professional in 2023. In fact, he revealed that things he may actually be further along than he expected to be at this stage of his career. 

“It definitely came faster than I thought. My coach and I knew that I would probably play my best tennis at 25, 26 years old so we were building around that and it came much faster. Dipping my toes in the water last year and going and playing a full schedule, going all around the world, places I’ve never been before, it brought me a lot of experience. I’ve been faced with many different challenges last year and this year, different situations, Grand Slams, Davis Cups, playing National Bank Open tournaments, all that added together with the fact that we relentlessly work on my game and add stuff and master stuff and it all came together.” 

As to what he is doing better now than a year ago, Diallo’s exact words were “the entirety of my game,” highlighting in particular his serve, his movement, his net game, and his precision. 

Read also: Shapovalov, Diallo Look to Power Canada at Davis Cup Final 8 – Meet the Team

Now he needs to put that into action in Malaga, where he and teammate Denis Shapovalov will be coming in hot.  

Diallo is less than a month removed from reaching his first career final in Almaty, while Shapovalov recently ended a five-year title drought with a victory at the Belgrade Open. As the top two Canadians on the team in the ATP rankings, they will be expected to lead the charge for Team Canada. 

Those recent results may work in Canada’s favour. Diallo explained that “It always makes a difference because you arrive at competitions with good feelings on the court. I entered the Top 100, I reached my first final. Denis won the second title of his career. It’s important that we’re arriving with good feelings and good momentum. I think it’s better to have the momentum on your side and we have it with us so we’ll try to carry it into Malaga.” 

Read also: Revisiting Rafael Nadal’s Five Titles at the National Bank Open

Canada will play Germany in the quarter-finals, the same opponent they faced in the last eight two years ago on their way to the title. A win could potentially set up a clash with the hosts Spain and Rafael Nadal, who will be participating in his final event as a professional. If Nadal plays singles, there is a high probability that Diallo will face the 22-time major champion.  

Speaking of Nadal, Diallo shared a fun little tidbit that he believes he watched the highlights of Nadal’s 2012 Australian Open final with Novak Djokovic more than 25 times.