Ex-Wimbledon champ a guitar hero, too
Alt-rock-indie fan and Vancouver tennis pro Pospisil plays sweet string music on and off court
In a Downtown Vancouver Starbucks, Vasek Pospisil puts in his order: an extra-hot almond milk latte, with a pump of vanilla syrup, because, hey — he’s on holiday.
“Name?” asks the disinterested barista.
“Erm … Tom,” he responds. What’s this? One of Canada’s most notable tennis stars has an alias? Is this a precursor to a TMZ Ron Mexico, Carlos Danger or Evan Fields type situation?
Alas, nothing quite so salacious.
Noticing the quizzically raised eyebrows, he quickly notes: “It’s my brother’s name. No one has ever spelled mine right.”
So there you have it. One of the country’s most recognizable tennis stars, a former Wimbledon champion whose ranking is currently a very respectable No. 70 in the world, and they can’t spell his name correctly. Can there be anything more Canadian?
The Vernon-born, Vancouver-raised Pospisil is supposed to be in training for the upcoming season on the ATP Tour, but these days, he can’t even sit for long. A cracked vertebra and herniated disc in his lower back, causing searing sciatica pain amid other chaos, can’t be quelled by the cortisone shots he’s been taking.
His back problems, which originally reared their head in 2014, returned last month in what proved to be his final match of 2018. He had to retire in his second-round qualifier versus Benoit Paire at the Paris Masters, ending what had proven to be a resurgent season — he’d made it to No. 70 in the rankings for the first time since September 2017, when he was in the mid 60s for two weeks. Before that, he hadn’t been this high since cracking the top 50 in 2016.
“It’s been tough. It’s part of the sport, so you try not to dwell on it, but I almost feel like, if I’m being injured, I’m doing something wrong,” the 28-year-old said. “The timing hasn’t been great (with injuries) over the years, and especially this one. It really feels like a setback this time.”
“I feel old,” the rosycheeked Pospisil added. “With these young guys coming up — Denis (Shapovalov) and Felix (Auger-Aliassime) — I’m starting to feel like an old guy. ‘Oh wow, I’m almost 10 years older than these guys.’
“It’s hitting me a little bit. But at the same time, I still feel like I have my best years ahead of me, if I can stay healthy.”
The rangy 6-foot-4 righthander had been on a roll, downing fellow Canadian Milos Raonic — currently ranked 18th on the ATP Tour — in the Round of 16 at the European Open in Antwerp last month, and pulling in just over half-a-million in winnings over the season.
It had been a long road back for Pospisil, who had spent a few years after his Wimbledon doubles win (with Jack Sock on 2014) playing in Challenger events as he tried to work his way back from his original back injury. Some personal off-court issues contributed to his struggles, something he readily admits now, as well as copping to hearing the clock tick on a career that inevitably declines with age.
“It was really important to go through that. I feel like I really matured in those years ... and now I have full clarity about what I want to do, and I’m much more optimistic because of it,” said Pospisil, who is satisfied with his game, but is focusing on optimizing his health and fitness. “I do feel a little bit of the pressure. I’d be lying to you if I said I didn’t. But it’s a process. You try not to think about, ‘Oh my God, I only have three more years (to play).’ But it definitely weighs on you.
“I feel I still have time to do it, but I need to definitely get on the right track really soon.”
One of his coping mechanisms has been music. He started playing guitar four years ago, travelling with it every week, and started writing songs. He estimates he’s completed about 80, with another 30 half-finished.
He collaborated with country singer Madeline Merlo, but makes sure to clarify that his music is a different genre.
“It’s not country music. I’m rock-alternative-indie,” he said, smiling. “It’s like Coldplay, Beatles, Red Hot Chili Peppers ...“
Nickelback?
“No,” he said, laughing. He just recorded six songs in the studio, and has loose plans to release an album sometime in the near future.
“I wrote a lot. It’s all out there — it’s like my life. I’m not hiding anything I went through in these songs,” he said. “I really enjoy it. It’s one of the only things that I can do that really gets my mind off of my life. I’m just able to disconnect and rest my mind. Even if I go to a movie, at some point I’ll be watching the movie and thinking about my practice the next day, or my match coming up, the issues that I have. But when I’m playing music, I really use that as an outlet to just disconnect. I think that’s just one of the powers of music.”
Now I have full clarity about what I want to do, and I’m much more optimistic because of it.” Vasek Pospisil