The Canadian Davis Cup Team Has European Connections

Written by: Staff on 10th April 2013

The Canadian Davis Cup Team Has European Connections

epa03651412 Canada's Milos Raonic in action during the Second Singles Match against Italy's Fabio Fognini at the Davis Cup World Group Quarter-Final Tie Tennis in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 05 April 2013. EPA/RICH LAM |

The Canadian Davis Cup team, who has already gone further in the competition than it has in a century and just two tie victories away from arguably one of the most surprising wins in the 113 year-old competition is better equipped than most to travel to Serbia for the semi-finals in September.

Most of Canada’s line-up has Balkan connections. Lead player, world no.15 Milos Raonic was born in the city then known as Titograd in the former state of Yugoslavia is now Podgorica in Montenegro. His family emigrated to Canada when he was aged just three.

Doubles veteran Daniel Nestor, now aged 40 but still ranked no.3 in the world, was born in Belgrade but his parents moved to Toronto just short of his fourth birthday. He spent three years in a doubles partnership with Serbia’s Nenad Zimonjic and together the pair won Wimbledon titles in 2008 and 2009 and the French Open of 2011.

Back up player Frank Dancevic was actually born in Niagara Falls, Ontario but has a Serbian father, and like his two team-mates is fluent in Serbo-Croat.

“Stuff is going to be easy there, it’s not like we’re going to South America and nobody speaks Spanish,” maintained Raonic.

“I think it’s going to be a comfortable situation for us – but obviously not too comfortable. And I think there will be, for that reason, a bit more support than you would imagine for us. I look forward to playing there.”

Team Canada now has plenty of time to prepare mentally for the task of playing in the Belgrade Arena, where in 2010 the team of Novak Djokovic, Viktor Toicki, Zimonjic and Janko Tipsarevic won their first title in front of16,000 flag waving, fiercely patriotic supporters.

Captain Martin Laurendeau said: “I’m so proud of these guys because being on the road is so difficult so when you do play at home, you’ve got to win.

I’ve been trying to pinch myself since match point. I can’t even remember match point, the ball went into the net and then I blacked out. Three years ago, Milos saved match points against a guy from Dominican Republic in Toronto, and now we’re in the final four.”

And Laurendeau looked forward to upcoming years with optimism. “We have Vacek Pospisil and Raonic who are 22 years old, and you look at the average age of the Top 100 and it’s probably pushing 27 or 28,” he continued.

“So there are a lot of good years ahead. It’s been a long road, but what we’re going through right now is great, I’m really proud of the guys for being able to perform under pressure and grab their opportunities when they’re in front of them.”

©Daily Tennis News Wire

Topics: Canadian tennis news, Daniel Nestor, Davis Cup, Frank Dancevic, milos raonic, Nenad Zimonjic, Sports, Tennis Canada