Vasek Pospisil dropped the final match of the Open Sud de France to world No. 9 Gael Monfils on Sunday, but not before creating an all-time great Canadian tennis moment.
In Montpellier, France, Pospisil worked his way to his first ATP Tour final since 2014 and beat second-seed David Goffin to reach tournament (and home crowd) favorite Monfils. The Frenchman won the final 7-5, 6-3, but during the mid-match changeover cameras caught Pospisil drinking maple syrup straight from the bottle.
Has a tennis player ever been endorsed by a Canadian Maple Syrup manufacturer? 🤔
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 9, 2020
Maybe @VasekPospisil should be the first? 🇨🇦#OSDF20 pic.twitter.com/dIccmOwM0w
Maple syrup may not seem like a top sports drink at first glance, but apparently its sodium and potassium levels can help maintain blood fluid levels and prevent muscle cramping during exercise. Pospisil's match went one hour and 37 minutes on Sunday, making hydration and cramp prevention necessary. While there are far more common sports energy drinks out there, maple syrup only makes sense for Pospisil, a Vernon, B.C., native.
Fed Cup 2020: Leylah Annie Fernandez delivers major upset over Belinda Bencic, but Canadians lose to Switzerland
Fellow Canadians Felix Auger-Aliassime, Brayden Schnur and Bianca Andreescu took note of Pospisil's unique drink on Twitter, too.
— Brayden Schnur (@BraydenSchnur) February 9, 2020
Doesn’t get more Canadian than that😂 congrats on reaching finals 🙏🏽 https://t.co/dDJ6xLMEdk
— Bianca (@Bandreescu_) February 9, 2020
While the finals loss was not the ending Pospisil wanted after a quality week of play in France, he earned 150 ATP Ranking points from his efforts in the tournament — suggesting his ranking could soon rise to within the world top 100. Considering he was ranked as low as No. 248 in October 2019, 2020 could be the year of a meteoric rise for Pospisil.
And it all could be thanks to maple syrup.