McIntyre Tennis

Belgium Takes Commanding Lead in Davis Cup Tie Against Canada

By Mike McIntyre

No disrespect to Frank Dancevic or Filip Peliwo, but they are no Milos and Vasek. Asking two players ranked 272nd and 491st respectively in the ATP rankings to win against much more talented and consistent opponents was likely never a realistic prospect. With Dancevic nearing the final years of his professional tennis career and Peliwo still just getting his started it was a tough position for both of them to be in today against Belgium.

Dancevic used to be Canada's go-to singles player. With a career high ranking of 65th in the world back in 2007, Dancevic's sharp serving and keen instincts at the net made Canadian tennis fans hopeful that perhaps he could crack into the top 40 in the world. Since then injuries and inconsistencies have plagued the now 30 year old and his 2015 season has not produced much to write home about. Dancevic is 0-2 in main draw ATP events, 7-5 in ATP qualifying and a mediocre 10-10 at the challenger level. While as recently as a couple of years ago I would have given Frank a good shot at Steve Darcis, there was very little chance of him winning that match as things currently stand. And that's a problem for Team Canada who really needed Frank the Tank to show up today and steal one as he did two years ago vs Marcel Granollers of Spain. Instead Darcis, ranked 76th in the world, would take the match 3-6, 6-1, 7-5, 6-3.

Peliwo was brought along to Belgium I'm assuming because a) it would be a great experience for the former junior star and b) Belgium probably didn't know a whole lot about him. Three years removed from winning the Junior Wimbledon crown and Peliwo's rise in the professional ranks has so far been a slow one. It must be tough when he looks at the early career success of Eugenie Bouchard but hopefully Peliwo isn't putting too much pressure on himself to develop at the same rate. Look at the hiccup in Bouchard's career in 2015 and perhaps taking a slower development path isn't such a bad idea for Peliwo. So far this year has seen some success for the 21 year old in the depths of the minor league's of tennis - aka Futures Events. There he has amassed a 15-8 record along with one tournament victory. At the Challenger level Peliwo is 0-2 in main draw event's and 4-3 in qualifying. He has yet to play in any main draw ATP events in 2015 and therefore his match today against world number 14 David Goffin must have seemed like quite the daunting task. Yet Peliwo hung in there for two sets before the more experienced (by three years) Goffin prevailed 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.

Now Tennis Canada turns to its long standing stalwart in Daniel Nestor, who at the ripe old age of 42 will partner with Davis Cup rookie and comparative youngster at the age of 32, Adil Shamasdin. Ranked 65th in doubles makes Shamasdin a capable partner for Nestor who has seen his own ranking fall to 24th in the world. The two are currently supposed to face the duo of Ruben Bemelmans and Kimmer Coppejans. The match would essentially be a throw-away for the Belgians who would prefer to rest Goffin and Darcis for reverse singles on Sunday where they only require one win. Still, there is the outside chance that Goffin could be subbed-in for Coppejans at the last minute if the Belgians feel there is a legitimate chance they could close out the tie in three straight matches.

Regardless of the outcome on Saturday, Canada will be hard pressed to take one, let alone two, singles matches on Sunday. While tennis fans in Canada love to say, "Anything is Pospisil" I don't think that line applies when you're missing Milos and Vasek. If things play out according to predictions there is certainly no shame for the severely depleted Canadian line-up who gave their best effort on Day 1. They will still remain a fixture in the World Group of Davis Cup and with a healthy roster in 2016 should be expected once more to compete for their first ever Davis Cup Championship.

Tuesday at the Rogers Cup in Pictures

By Mike McIntyre

There was more rain on day two of the Rogers Cup in Toronto but things eventually cleared up and by the afternoon everything was back on schedule. Roger Federer made his hardcourt summer debut and three Canadians all made an exit from the tournament leaving Milos Raonic as the only Canuck remaining in the draw. Here are some of my favourite shots from around the grounds today. Enjoy!

Frank Dancevic practices in the morning despite the rain shower.

Philipp Kohlschreiber's shirt might have jinxed the German as he was defeated 6-3, 7-6(3) by Tommy Robredo.

The drying machines proved their worth today and made several appearances throughout the morning as the rain continued to fall.

There's a first for everything. Dancevic looks incredulous as he is asked to sign a fans purse.

An auction item of the last Toronto Maple Leafs team to win the Stanley Cup. Hopefully we don't have to wait that long for a Canadian to win the Rogers Cup!

Despite the wet courts, "La Monf" flashes a grin during morning practice.

 

World Number One Novak Djokovic grins as he prepares to return a shot to coach Marian Vajda. Djokovic makes his singles debut Wednesday in Toronto.

Warning: being the world number one comes with high pressure. At least Novak has an emergency exit!

 

Here we can see reality sinking in for 612th ranked Brayden Schnur of Canada who fell 6-3, 6-3 in the opening round to Andreas Seppi who is ranked 561 spots higher than him on the ATP World Tour.

 Someone finally got a smile out of the normally very professional Milos Raonic. Had to be the Djoker!

Wildcard Jack Sock celebrates his 6-1, 6-3 win over Jurgen Melzer.

Dancevic faltered today in a match he should have found a way to win. He goes down 5-7, 6-0, 6-3 to Donald Young.

To say Young was happy with the result was an understatement.

Likely the scariest serve on the tour. "Dr." Ivo Karlovic

Monfils battled back from a 1-5 deficit in the second set to beat Radek Stepanek 6-3, 7-5.

Tough day for Vasek Pospisil who admitted he has simply, "been on the road a lot of weeks." He loses the rematch with Richard Gasquet 7-5, 7-5.

 

And then there was Federer. Playing in his first match since an epic final at Wimbledon he looked ready to rock. Broken in his first service game of the night, Federer would not have any more hiccups in a 6-2, 6-0 victory against Peter Polansky.

The view from the very top of the Rexall Centre tonight for the Federer/Polansky match.

Former world Number One and six time Grand Slam champion Stefan Edberg was inducted into the Rogers Cup Hall of Fame this evening.

Federer doing some post-match press to end his night.

 

Stan Wawrinka saved a match point against close friend Benoit Paire and prevailed 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(3) to end another fantastic day of tennis in Toronto.

Check back with us often here at ProTennisFan as we continue to provide a glimpse at all the action at the Rogers Cup. Follow us on Twitter as well for regular updates and commentary. 

Rogers Cup ATP Preview

By Mike McIntyre

Once an optional blip on the screen for pro tennis players, the Rogers Cup has become perhaps the most important event outside of the four Grand Slams on the ATP World Tour. While the Emirates U.S. Open Series has already seen events in Atlanta and Washington, it is the start of the Rogers Cup that really signifies the start of the summer hardcourt swing. This is where the favourites for the upcoming U.S. Open begin to show their stuff and help build momentum towards the crowning of what is arguably the hardest Slam to win.

In Toronto this year the favourite will no-doubt be world number one Novak Djokovic. Fresh off his second career Wimbledon title, Djokovic has worked hard to re-establish himself as the premiere player on the Tour. His victory at the All-England Club sent him past Rafael Nadal in the rankings and has likely given him the confidence to continue that impressive level of play throughout the summer. The Serb has already won the event in Canada three times which is the most of any players participating in this year's draw.  (2007, 2011, 2012). For Nadal, a right wrist injury has unfortunately sidelined him for the Rogers Cup where he was to be the defending champion. Hopefully the next three weeks of rest will allow his body time to recover in time for Flushing Meadows in New York.

Here is our look at the draw for this years Rogers Cup:

Djokovic has already been on-site for several days in Toronto and participated in the draw ceremony on Friday at the Ontario Legislature. On Saturday the world number one captured the attention of teenage music fans when he hit a few balls with Niall Horan of One Direction fame.

Djokovic gets a first round bye along with the other top seven seeds at the Rogers Cup. His first match will be against the winner between Gael Monfils and Radek Stepanek. That match between "le Monf" and "the worm" will undoubtedly be one of the more entertaining pairings on deck in the opening round.The Djoker could also see Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the third round which would make for yet another challenging match.

One unexpected curve-ball in Djokovic's quarter of the draw is the presence of Andy Murray who has won the Rogers Cup twice himself. Murray has yet to reach the finals of any ATP event so far in 2014 and has seen his ranking slip to 10th in the world. He finds himself seeded 8th here in Toronto but could face Djokovic in a blockbuster quarter-final match-up. While I do see Djokovic moving through his quarter, there will be a stern test in every match for him to overcome.

In the second quarter of the draw we find Stan Wawrinka as the 3rd seed. Wawrinka now shares the spotlight among Swiss tennis players and is no longer viewed as Roger Federer's understudy. In a move that will surely generate some buzz in the doubles draw in Toronto, Wawrinka will be partnering Djokovic to help the two get a little extra hardcourt practice. Wawrinka will face either Alejandro Falla or a qualifier in the second round when he begins play. Beyond that, Stan's first real test could be in the quarter-finals against the up and coming Grigor Dmitrov who is seeded 7th.

In the third quarter, Tomas Berdych will try to improve upon his recent result at the Citi Open in Washington where as the number one seed he fell in his third round match to resurgent young Canadian Vasek Pospisil. Berdych is the 4th seed in Toronto and will open against either Yen-Hsun Lu or Marcel Granollers. He should be able to sail into the quarter-finals where he could very likely face another Canadian - Milos Raonic.

The "Maple Leaf Missile" has stepped up his game to another level this year and has proven that he belongs in the top ten. A quarter-final result at the French Open was an unexpected surprise for the hard-serving Canuck whose game is more suited to faster surfaces. He then followed that up by reaching the semi-finals of Wimbledon where he was eventually defeated by Federer. Raonic won the Citi Open in Washington on Sunday against his compatriot Pospisil in what was the first all-Canadian final of the Open Era of tennis on the ATP World Tour. In short, Canadian tennis fans have plenty to be excited about this week as the world of tennis turns its focus to their major tournament.

In the last quarter of the Rogers Cup draw, Federer is in the number two position and will face either Jerzy Janowicz or Canadian wildcard Peter Polansky in his opening match. Federer has a very agreable section of the draw to work his way into and his subsequent opponents could be Marin Cilic in round three, David Ferrer or John Isner in the quarters and then either Berdych or Raonic in the semis. Federer has to be happy with this draw and should likely find himself playing deep into the tournament.

Other players of note in the draw are the 6'11'' Ivo Karlovic who is something to behold if you are attending the event live. He opens against Bernard Tomic in the top-half of the draw and fans will have the opportunity to get up close on the Granstand Monday afternoon to see his incredible serve in action.

Australian teenage sensation Nick Kyrgios received a wildcard from Tennis Canada and faces Santiago Giraldo of Columbia in the opening round. This kid you'll remember from defeating Nadal in the fourth round of Wimbledon a few weeks ago before falling to Raonic in the quarters. This will be a good chance to see what all the hype is about and he should face Andy Murray in the second round.

Veteran Lleyton Hewitt is making his tenth appearance at the Canadian Masters 1000 event, but his first in Toronto since 2006. At 33 years old, this could very well be Hewitt's last appearance here in Toronto and a great chance for fans to see this former Grand Slam champion in action for a final time.

In terms of Canadian content, there is Milos of course who the fans will be counting on to contend for the title. He is defending finalist points this year and hopefully is not too tired from his run in Washington.

Posipisil also had enormous success last year in Montreal where he lost fo Raonic in the semi-finals. He's played a lot of tennis over the last few days with his quarter-final match in Washington being finished the same day as his three set semi-final victory against Richard Gasquet. Pospisil will be quite familiar with Gasquet by the end of the Rogers Cup as the two are slated to face one another in the opening round of both singles and doubles play. Vasek is slated to re-join doubles partner Jack Sock and see if they can continue their impressive partnership that has yielded a 10-0 record and two titles this summer including at Wimbledon.

Veteran Frank Dancevic recently cracked the top hundred in the ATP rankings for the first time in years and opens against American Donald Young. Dancevic has fallen back to 123rd in the world over the last couple of weeks however and we will see if he is fit enough to show glimpses of his 2007 form that saw him reach that quarter-finals in Montreal.

Finally there is the previously mentioned Polansky who plays Janowicz in an opening round match that is a big-ask for the 129th ranked Canadian. He has proven resilient playing in front of a home crowd however and has twice advanced past the first round at the Rogers Cup.

Keep checking back with us regularly as we will be attending the event live all week long and providing match updates and plenty of photos as well. You can check us out on Twitter as well for timely updates.

Canada vs Italy Davis Cup Preview

By Mike McIntyre

Canada finds itself in unfamiliar territory as they play in their first ever Davis Cup quarter-final on Friday against Italy. Even more surprising is perhaps the fact that they will be considered by many to be the favourite in this match-up.

Led by rising star and current world number 16 Milos Raonic, the Canadian team will be hoping to use their home crowd and home surface to advance to the semi-finals in September.

The Thunderbird Arena on the University of British Columbia campus in Vancouver might have a tennis court instead of an ice surface on the floor but it will definitely feel more like a hockey game thanks to the increased level of support a home crowd is expected to provide during Davis Cup play. Warning: this is not your typical tennis environment.

The hard court surface has been chosen yet again and this should come as no surprise given the extra pop it will give Raonic on his ATP World Tour leading serve. While I do not have any statistical evidence to support the ferociousness of his serve, ask anyone on the tour right now whose serve they would most like to avoid and I guaranteed Milos gets the bulk of the votes.

The hard court being used will also put Team Italy at their most vulnerable given that most of their players prefer to play on the red clay that is more commonly associated with tennis back in Europe. The Italians used such clay to defeat the Croatians in their opening round victory back in February.

The team rosters and schedule of play was just released today and revealed one change from each team from what was previously expected. For the Canadians it will be Vasek Pospisil and not Frank Dancevic who will join Raonic as our second singles player. Dancevic was a late scratch due to pain he was experiencing in his left knee. Pospisil is currently ranked 140th in the world and while it was Dancevic who gave the Canucks the extra win they needed to dispatch Spain two months ago, the younger Pospisil is also quite capable of coming through in Davis Cup play. It was his heroics in Israel late in 2011 that allowed Canada to jump back into the world group of the Davis Cup.

For Italy, doubles specialist Simone Bolelli has been forced to bow out due to a wrist injury he sustained recently. Instead of playing doubles with his regular partner Fabio Fognini, the Italians have opted to go with the duo of Paolo Lorenzi and Daniele Bracciali. They will face-off against Canadian legend Daniel Nestor and Pospisil.

Pospisil will in fact kick-off the tie against Italy on Friday against world number 18 Andreas Seppi. The two have played each other before with Pospisil scoring the upset last summer in Toronto at the Rogers Cup and Seppi winning their first encounter in 2011 in St. Petersburg by a close scoreline of 7-5, 7-6. Despite the large gap in their rankings, expect Pospisil to give Seppi a good challenge with either player capable of scoring the initial victory.

Raonic will play second against the flamboyant but often enigmatic Fabio Fognini. More known for his clay court prowess, this match on paper should be a routine win for Canada's top gun. Raonic says he is 100% ready to go after having to withdraw from the Masters 1000 event in Miami two week's ago due to strep throat. The 25 year old Fognini is currently ranked 31st in the world rankings but will have to play the match of his life in order to score the upset in this one. I remember Fognini arriving to play the Rogers Cup a couple of summers ago and he only had his clay court shoes with him. While I don't think he'll make that mistake this time around, I wouldn't expect it would make much of a difference against Raonic anyway.

With Raonic the overwhelming favourite in both of his singles matches and Pospisil in theory the underdog, the result in Vancouver may likely be determined by the doubles match on the second day of competition. For all of his past doubles glory, including victories at the Olympics and all four of the Grand Slams, Daniel Nestor needs to step up and overcome some recent Davis Cup struggles to get the win on Saturday. Nestor has looked ordinary of late and has never really established a huge rapport with Pospisil as his partner.

I'm still going to go with Canada in this one due to their home crowd, choice of surface and the fact that they seem to have such an emerging team camaraderie as they begin to truly believe that they belong amongst some of the top tennis countries in the world right now.

Check back with us here at Pro Tennis Fan for updates throughout the event and feel free to follow us on Twitter as well for timely observations on each day of competition.

Dancevic Keeping His Head Up

By Mike McIntyre

With tennis fans in Canada so enamoured at the moment by rising star Milos Raonic, it is easy to forget about some of the country's other professional tennis players who are also still on the scene. In doubles we have world number one Daniel Nestor who at the age of forty is still winning Grand Slams. In singles, Vasek Pospisil is flirting with a top-hundred ranking and upset world number twenty six Andreas Seppi in the first round of the Rogers Cup before falling in round two to a steady top-ten opponent in Juan Monaco.

You'll have to look a little bit further to find Frank Dancevic who held the title of Canadian number one for several years before back injuries, and the emergence of Raonic, pushed him down the ladder. Currently ranked a respectable 123rd in the world, Dancevic is trying to rebuild his career at the age of 27 and re-establish himself as a capable veteran who can still cause some damage.

Earlier this year it appeared that the Niagra Falls native was on his way to doing just that. At a challenger in Dallas he endured two qualification matches to make the main draw and then progressed all the way to the finals knocking off quality opponents such as Yen-Hsun Lu, Marin Cilic and then Igor Andreev to capture the title. He followed that up by qualifying for the Masters event in Miami before falling in the second round to Mardy Fish. Then his back acted-up again and brought his momentum to a grinding halt.

Dancevic was in the finals of a challenger event in Tallahassee when had to suddenly retire after popping some ligaments in his back and needing his opponent, American Tim Smyczek, and a trainer to carry him off the court. He would not play again for another month and a half.

When he returned, his body had clearly not healed as he was forced to retire again at Roland Garros after playing a mere four games in his opening match. Afterwards he said, "“I was petrified out there, I didn’t know what would happen. I started feeling twinges even during the warm-up and it only got worse during the match. I didn’t want to mess up my whole summer, it was just not worth it for me.”

A few weeks later at a grass-court tournament at Queen's Club Dancevic would try once more to comeback with disappointing results. He would retire after losing the opening set 6-1. The constant fear of re-injuring himself caused Dancevic to endure some hard times.

"Coming back and starting to train again was really difficult. I found that just practicing and going out for the first couple of weeks I was very tentative, very afraid of what was going to happen and if I would get hurt again and be out again," Dancevic said.

Only recently have things started to slowly improve for the unlucky Canuck. Last week at a challenger event in Vancouver he was able to put together a string of consistent matches before losing in the semi-finals. Then yesterday at the Rogers Cup, a tournament he was playing for the 10th time in his career, he was beaten in the first round by 69th ranked Mikhail Kukushkin 6-3, 7-5. Despite the loss, Dancevic remains cautiously optimistic that he can still get his game back to where it once was when he was ranked 65th in the world back in 2007.

"The fact that my conditioning is coming back and I played some good matches (in Vancouver) is a good sign. I think it's a matter of just staying healthy this year and staying on top of my body and hoping for the best," Dancevic said following the match against Kukushkin.

Back in '07, all hopes were on Dancevic to be the next big tennis phenom for a country that has been starved of such talent for as long as many of us can rememeber. Dancevic was well aware of that pressure and spoke about it candidly yesterday.

"I guess back in the day I was a talented junior. I was playing well. I feel like if I wasn't out - if I didn't hurt my back early in my career...I felt like who knows what could have happened, you know?"

Dancevic showed promise at various times back then. He was a finalist in Indianapolis in 2007 where he beat Andy Roddick in the semi-finals. He also made the quarter-finals that summer in Montreal before falling to Rafael Nadal in three tight sets. In 2009, he made the finals of his 2nd ATP tournament in Eastbourne on grass. In 2011, Dancevic became the first man to ever make it through qualifying at all four Grand Slam events in the same calendar year.

There still remains time for Dancevic to make something of his time as a tennis professional. While reaeching Raonic-like heights is not going to happen, a return into the top hundred in the world should be within his capabilities if he can remain healthy.

"I feel like if I put the pieces to the puzzle together I still have the game to be in the top 50. Realistically I feel like that."

Time will tell if Dancevic will be able to do it, but he certainly appears game to try.

France Defeats Raonic-Less Canada in Davis Cup Action

By Mike McIntyre

It was not the end Canadian tennis fans had envisioned for their opening round Davis Cup tie against France. Instead of watching the highly anticipated singles match between world No. 6 Jo Wilfried Tsonga and big-serving Milos Raonic, there was an initial sigh of disbelief when it was announced Frank Dancevic would be playing for Canada in the crucial fourth match.

It turns out that Raonic had developed a pain in his knee that worsened during his doubles match with Daniel Nestor on Saturday. He made the decision only this morning to abdicate his position in favour of Dancevic, who at 178^th in the ATP World Tour rankings did not present nearly the same amount of firepower Canada required to level the Davis Cup tie at two apiece.

Raonic’s decision was nothing short of controversial and had the press buzzing at the Thunderbird Sports Centre in Vancouver. The way the news leaked was through Raonic’s agent Graham Cross who gave a short prepared statement on behalf of his protégé to Tennis Canada less than an hour prior to the match itself. Even more distressing was the fact that Raonic would apparently not be made available at all today to answer any questions about the decision to withdraw.

Fortunately cooler heads prevailed and Raonic did face the media for a very brief Q&A following the conclusion of the match between Tsonga and Dancevic. Raonic was not spared from answering tough questions about the decision.

First he was asked whether his sponsorship by SAP played any part in the decision to pull-out, since they are also the title sponsors at the tournament in San Jose that starts tomorrow where Raonic is the defending champion. Could it be that his duties to appear there trumped his willingness to test the knee in action today?

Raonic certainly would not concede to that suggestion and instead levelled that it was merely a case of not wanting to cause further harm to his body at this stage of his young career. I chose to take his answer at face value given the amount of time he missed last year with a serious hip injury.

Raonic was further queried about the manner in which he revealed his withdrawal from game-play today without initially speaking to the press. Couldn’t he have found a more professional and transparent way to address the situation?

His response was that he decided to place the Canadian team first and be supportive of Dancevic as he prepared for his big match today. I suppose Raonic failed to foresee the distraction his silence would spark.

Chalk it up to a young player who at the age of twenty-one still has a lot to learn about the way that professional sports and its media coverage operates. One might however wonder if he is being properly advised by his agent, Cross, who also happens to represent American tennis player Andy Roddick – himself not exactly a known charmer with the media.

Either way, there was in fact a tennis match that was played outside of this small debacle. It even ended up being quite an entertaining match at that.

The twenty-seven year old Dancevic relied on his previous Davis Cup experience to at least make a game of it today against his much higher ranked and more talented opponent.

Despite falling behind quickly to 0-4 in the opening set, Dancevic got one break of serve back from the powerful Tsonga and narrowed the gap to 4-3 in favour of the Frenchman.

Though Dancevic would lose the set 6-4, he seemed to be gaining momentum from the ever-raucous crowd that began a steady “Frank the Tank” chant to support their man.

The second set saw some fantastic tennis and an elevated number of winners from both players. That being said, even though he maintained the score at 4-4 and kept it close, Dancevic rarely threatened to break Tsonga’s rock-solid serve. The Canadian would let the set slip by another score of 6-4.

By the third frame, Dancevic was clearly starting to loose his stamina while Tsonga continued his strong play. France would take the match 6-4, 6-4, 6-1 and with it the all-important third and deciding victory to clinch the tie against Canada.  

Dancevic should be proud of the way he battled, especially since he was thrust into the spotlight on short notice. He played hard and gave Tsonga a bit more of a challenge than the Frenchman likely expected when he realized it was not going to be the 6’5’’ Raonic across the net from him on this day.

For Milos, it was hopefully a learning experience on how to handle a tough situation like this one in the future. As the emerging face of tennis in Canada he will certainly have other opportunities on the world stage to prove his worth and ability.

For Canada, it was a three day celebration of the wonderful sport of tennis and how it can galvanize a nation. The crowds in Vancouver were top-notch and cheered for their players with the type of fervour normally reserved for a Stanley Cup hockey game. They remained respectful of the French team while simultaneously pumping-up their players in the search for a victory that was unfortunately just not meant to be.

Milos Raonic Withdraws From Davis Cup

By Mike McIntyre

Canada's slim chances today in the Davis Cup against France took a serious hit with the announcement by Tennis Canada that star singles player Milos Raonic has had to withdraw due to knee pain he experienced yesterday in his doubles match with Daniel Nestor.

In a statement released to the press Raonic said, "After our doubles match yesterday I consulted with my team, and a team of doctors regarding some pain in my knee. After extensive discussions, the doctors determined it is not in my best interest to play today. We are continuing to explore the reasoning behind the pain, and taking it day by day. Obviously I am extremely disappointed to not be able to play for my team today, but I will be cheering them on from the sidelines and want the focus to stay on winning this tie."

Raonic's comments regarding focus are likely related to the fact he has declined to speak directly with members of the media and will not take any questions for the remainder of the tie. His decision has quite rightly upset the press who would like to delve deeper into how this situation came to be. Hopefully later today Canada's coach Martin Laurendeau can enlighten us on the particulars.

I was informed by Tennis Canada staff that the decision for Raonic to avoid speaking to the press came directly from the player's agent Graham Cross. Perhaps it's time for the young Canuck to seek direction from someone else as his lack of communication with the press is causing more distraction than a quick ten minute Q&A ever would.

In the meantime, Raonic's spot will be taken by Canada's former singles stalwart, Frank Dancevic of Niagra Falls, Ontario. Dancevic held promise in his early to mid twenties until injuries began to take their toll on him and forced him into several absences from the ATP World Tour.

Currently Dancevic is ranked 178th in the world rankings and at the age of 27 has probably seen his best days on tour behind him. He reached a career-high back in 2007 when he was ranked No. 65 in the world. He has a solid serve, though nothing in the range of what Milos can bring to the court. He plays a game that displays a variety of shots and no fear of coming into the net when necessary. We'll see what he has in store for Jo Wilfried Tsgonga today who likely has very little intel on his new opponent.

Dancevic made some news in 2011 for becoming the first male player to ever qualify for all of the Grand Slams in one calendar year. The experience seemed to buoy his confidence as he revealed that, "I believe that I am a Top 100 player and deserve to be back there."

Canada will be hoping that his performance today is one that supports the above statement. A loss to Tsonga will seal Canada's fate and deliver the victory to France who are already leading the tie 2-1.