Daniel Nestor calls it the best tennis of their lives. And nobody, not even the battle-hardened Woodies, could stop Nestor and partner Sebastien Lareau from capturing the gold medal in tennis doubles at the Sydney Olympics.

 Lareau and Nestor end the year on another victorious note -- as decisive winners of Canadian team-of-the-year honours in balloting conducted by The Canadian Press and Broadcast News.

 Lareau and Nestor received 74 of 166 first-place votes and 296.5 points in voting by sports editors and broadcasters across the country.

 The Olympic men's basketball team, which lost just twice in Sydney, was second with 31 first-place votes and 187.5 points. Third was the world champion women's ice hockey team (20 first-place votes and 142 points), followed by the Grey Cup-champion B.C. Lions (14, 115) and the Paralympic champion women's wheelchair basketball team (four, 46).

 The year started on a bleak note for Lareau and Nestor, who had planned to join forces in January in order to prepare for the Olympics.

 Instead, Nestor underwent shoulder surgery in January and found himself in rehab while Lareau played on the ATP Tour with four different partners.

 Both had doubts about the future. And when Nestor did return in late May for the French Open, the Canadian duo had only three or four months -- instead of eight -- to prepare for Sydney.

 But they both knew they had won on short notice before, in the Davis Cup and on tour.

 They came up through the same system and their styles complemented each other -- Nestor a hard-serving left-hander and Lareau an accomplished returner of serve.

 They reunited in Paris and reached the French Open quarter-finals. At Wimbledon, they lost to the Woodies -- Australian legends Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde -- in a five-set quarter-final that went to 8-6 in the fifth set.

 In Toronto, the Canadians won the Masters Series tournament but lost out in the quarters of the U.S. Open. Nestor cites that loss to Lleyton Hewitt and Max Mirnyi as a key point in his year.

 "I just realized I wasn't being aggressive enough and not going for my shots," he said. "I was maybe waiting for things to happen a little too much. I really focused on that at the Olympics.

 "The five matches we played there were probably the best five we played together in a tournament as a team. We basically dominated every team, other than the first set against the Woodies in the final match. We were always in control."

 Lareau and Nestor came to Sydney with a 22-6 record in 2000. Their confidence was further boosted in Olympic singles play when Lareau dispatched American Michael Chang and Nestor upset Aussie favourite Pat Rafter.

 Teams from Brazil, Venezuela, Germany and South Africa were quickly brushed aside when the doubles started and the Lareau-Nester tandem didn't drop a set along the way to the final.

 "We just went out and played some really good tennis," Lareau said.

 The pressure in the gold-medal match was immense. It was the Woodies' farewell performance and an entire country was behind them.

 "Going against the best team in the world in their home town with 10,000 people against you, and playing at the same time for your country and trying to win the medal, it was a lot (of pressure)," Lareau said. "For me it took a full set to settle down and really get into the groove and focus on the tennis aspect and not on the outcome or winning the gold medal."

 The Woodies won that first set 7-5, but the Canadians took the next three to claim the gold, the first-ever Olympic tennis medal for Canada and the second Canadian gold overall in Sydney.

 "That match was probably the highlight of my life, so far," Lareau said. "An amazing day."

 As is their way, there was little emotion en route. The two talk between points, but they know each other's games inside out.

 "It seems like it's easy to play together," Lareau said. "I know where Daniel is going to be positioned on the court.

 "I know if I hit that type of ball, he's going to go there. We don't have to talk too much. Both of us are really simple, quiet guys on the court."

 Nestor concurs.

 "We have pretty reserved personalities," he said. "We're not the kind of guys to get in our opponent's face. We just play the game and let our rackets do the talking."

 Their future together is uncertain. Because Lareau wants to continue to concentrate on his singles, he won't be as available for doubles. That has prompted Nestor to hook up with Australian Sandon Stolle.

 Lareau will rejoin former partner Alex O'Brien of the United States for his limited doubles schedule, although both he and Nestor say they hope to see action together at some point.

 "If Dan is available for a certain week, I would love to play with him, because I think we're probably the best team in the world," Lareau said.

 Whatever their future, Lareau and Nestor will always be known as Olympic champions.

 "I realize now it seems a lot of the people stayed up and watched that match, even people who don't follow sports normally," Lareau said. "The Olympics really touch everybody."

 Added Nestor: "The best thing about it is just the fact that I think tennis isn't really that popular compared to some of the other professional sports in Canada. It's just nice that people took notice of our efforts and our success."

 There was no Canadian team of the year chosen in 1999, when Team Canada '72 was selected team of the century.