-Toronto, ON
One of eight Davis Cup World Group playoff ties will take place this weekend in Toronto, Ontario Canada. In the same city as the ATP Masters 1000 event which took place just over a month ago, Canada will host the Netherlands in a Best-of-Five showdown indoors at the renamed Coca-Cola Coliseum just outside of downtown.
For the first time since 2015, Canada’s top Men’s player Milos Raonic will play for his country and is expected to compete in one of the first two singles matches on Friday. Along with Denis Shapovalov, Vasek Pospisil, Daniel Nestor and 18-year old phenom Felix Auger-Aliassime, Canada has their strongest Davis Cup squad in history. One of the biggest serves in the game, one of the best young players in the game, one of the future stars of the game and the oldest player in the game playing for one last time should made for a highly entertaining atmosphere at the 7,000 seat arena.
“We are going to go with our best guys,” said Canada’s Davis Cup captain Frank Dancevic. “It looks like Milos and Denis are healthy, that’s my plan going into Friday. Saturday & Sunday we’re unsure”
As for the Netherlands, they will be led by World. No 44 Robin Hasse who has had some success in Canada of late. Hasse reached the Quarter-Finals in last months Rogers Cup and reached the Semi-Finals a year ago in Montreal. The rest of the Dutch side includes Them de Bakker, Scott Griekspoor, Jean-Julien Rojer and Matwe Middelkoop. De Baaker the highest ranked of the bunch in singles at No. 236 in the World.
“I think they are going to play Haase and de Bakker in singles,” Dancevic said. “Doubles is a little unsure, they have a lot of options.
Canada and the Netherlands have not faced each other in Davis Cup competition in 14 years. The last meeting taking place in Maastricht on clay with the home team winning 4-1.
“This is actually the strongest team we have ever had going into a tie,” according to Dancevic. “I think we have an opportunity in the next couple of years to do some serious damage.”
The World Group playoff tie will also be the swan song for 46-year old Daniel Nestor. After 28 years on tour, 52 Davis Cup ties and 48 Davis Cup wins, Nestor will play the final match of his storied career as he teams with Pospisil to play Doubles on Saturday.
@Sportshorn
