Canada’s Fed Cup captain Heidi El Tabakh spoke to the media on Wednesday evening ahead of the Billie Jean King Cup play-off against Serbia this weekend in Kralijevo. Some details ahead of the tie were confirmed, including that it will be played in an empty stadium.
In a blow to the team, Bianca Andreescu is absent due to injury and Eugenie Bouchard couldn’t make the trip. Resulting in El Tabakh nominating Leylah Fernandez, Carol Zhao, Sharon Fichman and Rebecca Marino.
It feels good to be back here at Billie Jean King getting ready for a tie against Serbia,” she said.
“It feels good to be back on court, honestly everything has been great. We (the team) had such a warm welcome from the Serbian Federation, the hotel has been great and all the COVID protocols are perfect so no complaints on our end. It’s been wonderful”
She added, ” We have had a good couple of days here and we are halfway through the week and we look forward to this weekend”.
Serbia has officially nominated Nina Stojanovic, Olga Danilovic, Aleksandra Krunic, Ivana Jorovic, and Lola Radivojevic to play. They currently hold a 2-1 lead in the head-to-head match-up. Although Canada won their most recent meeting back in 2014.
Although this meeting between the two countries will be like no other. The usual tradition of fans cheering on their fans from the sidelines have been removed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Could this mean that host nation will not have as much of an advantage as usual?
“It’s interesting because it is the first tie that the players will play on neutral ground with no spectators,” El Tabakh commented. “It will be an interesting atmosphere, it’s not going to be as crazy or as wild but this is the world we live in right now and regardless the girls are going to bring their own energy and they know everyone at home will be cheering for them and watching on tv so we will be feeling the energy”.
The draw is set for scheduled for Thursday at 12:00pm local time. The schedule is set to be two matches on Friday and three on Saturday. In terms of rankings both country have one player ranked in the top 100 in singles. Furthermore, team Serbia has four players in the top 250 compared to two for Canada.
” Well the good news is we have a lot of depth in our ranking, we have a lot of great girls and to have Leylah ( Fernandez) Rebecca (Marino) Carol ( Zhao), and Sharon ( Fichman) here has been a pleasure, they are all unbelievable girls, I can’t wait to be on the court with them. Unfortunately Bianca (Andreescu) couldn’t be here with us but I wish her a speedy recovery, I wish her all the best with her health, it’s a big year with the Olympics”.
Fernandez will take on a role this weekend that she has never taken on before being that she is the number one on the team. She is fresh off winning her first ever WTA title in Monterrey a few weeks back. A former French Open girls champion, she has won nine out of 15 matches played on the Tour so far this season.
” What she has achieved at a very young age is incredible,” Fernandez’s captain commented.
“She’s very mature, she’s very driven, very focused ans she has very high goals. She’s proven herself on the court playing some of her best tennis and she’s been playing really well. I know she can’t wait to get back on court and represent her country.’
“I personally look forward to being on court with her and she’s on her way. Should she stay healthy and motivated I have big goals and dreams for her.”
Rebecca Marino has also been a big topic of discussion in Canada being that she had a great start to the season and managed to qualify for the Australian Open.
“All the players look up to her, she’s a great inspiration and her story is incredible. She is one of the most humble humans your ever going to meet and she is a pleasure to have on the team and she is playing some her best tennis and we are all rooting for her not just this tie but the upcoming year,” said El Tabakh.
“I hope that she can remain healthy, she’s one of the toughest girls out there with her serve and groundstrokes, I hope she can achieve her goals this year and I am rooting for her”.
The winner of the tie will progress to the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers while the loser will be relegated to their regional group event in 2022.
