The impossible became Pospisil
Unlikely Wimbledon men’s doubles winners entered tourney on a whim
The unlikely partnership that ended in a Wimbledon men’s doubles title Saturday almost didn’t happen at all.
At the entry deadline, American Jack Sock needed a player ranked at least in the top 50 to get into the doubles. So he texted Vancouver’s Vasek Pospisil, a player he didn’t know particularly well.
Fine, Pospisil said. But he warned Sock that, given his ongoing back woes at the time, there was a 60-to70 per cent chance he would have to bail out on him.
Sock was willing to take that chance. Fast forward some six weeks, Pospisil was finally painfree, he was out of the singles in the first round, and he was ready to give it a go.
After roaring through the draw, upsetting the No. 8 and No. 5 seeds along the way, Pospisil and Sock both took to Wimbledon’s Centre Court for the very first time Saturday to face the legendary Bryan brothers, the U.S. twins who boast 98 tournament titles, 15 of them Grand Slam titles.
The two eager young lads, having the time of their lives and with absolutely nothing to lose, upset the mighty Bryans 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 before an appreciative crowd that stood and roared after every changeover during the fifth set. The impossible became Pospisil. “To be honest, our games just click perfectly together,” said Pospisil. “I think, throughout the tournament, we kind of, you know, when one guy was down a little bit the other guy raised the level at the perfect time,” he said. “We were complementing each other extremely well throughout the tournament. That’s why we got to the final.”
Their youthful exuberance made them a crowd favourite.