O Canada @ Wimbledon

The stellar results by Eugenie Bouchard and Milos Raonic in the majors in 2014 (so far) are simply remarkable – groundbreaking really, when you think about the long, long drought Canada faced in all the majors dating back to the last time a Canadian reached at least the quarterfinals of a major in the singles event – Patricia Hy at 1992 U.S. Open. (You’ll notice I emphasized singles event. The Hall of Fame results posted by Daniel Nestor in men’s doubles are simply too long to list. He is simply incredible).

Eugenie Bouchard is shattering all the previous high water marks for Canadian singles players at the majors. It’s stunning because these results seem to have come out of nowhere. She was an incredibly talented junior player – that is not up for debate. In her first year on the main WTA tour (2013), her results were promising – certainly not groundbreaking, but they built upon one another and she got better with every tournament. Her major results were solid. Again, nothing groundbreaking, but the experience she gained showed in her play.

That is why what has happened at all the majors in 2014 is stunning. It’s as if a light switch has been turned on and she’s on autopilot – cruising without abandon into the second weeks of all the majors as if she has been doing it for years. What Carling Bassett, Helen Kelesi and Patricia Hy did at the majors in 10 years from 1983 to 1992, Eugenie Bouchard has done in six months. It is unfathomable.

No one is more excited than I am to witness this historic run. As a Canadian, Carling Bassett got me interested in tennis. Then along came Helen Kelesi and Patricia Hy. Their results made me cheer not only for them, but for all the other Canadians who did well on both tours. After the tennis doldrums that Canada faced in the 1990s and 2000s, I never thought I’d live to see the day where Canada would have not only one, but two Top Ten singles tennis players – regularly making the quarterfinals and semifinals of majors and with legitimate chances of winning majors and reaching #1 in the world – never thought I’d see the day.