It will be a call Clémence Mercier won’t soon forget.
The 18-year-old from Saint-Roch-Ouest, QC, had just woken up one morning in October when she got a call from Heidi El Tabakh, Team Canada’s Billie Jean King Cup presented by Gainbridge captain, and dreams soon turned into reality. The Quebecker earned her first Billie Jean King Cup nomination and will don the Maple Leaf at the ultimate international team event in women's tennis later this month.
“I was super excited when Heidi called me,” Mercier said in an interview on Oct. 28 in Toronto. “I had just woken up. Everything was just ten times crazier when she called me and it was a dream come true for sure. And I’m going to be honest, the rest of the call, I don’t remember a thing she said. I was just super excited, over the moon, and I’m really excited for what’s coming up in November.”
Mercier will be the youngest of Canada’s quintet heading to Vitoria, Brazil, for the Billie Jean King Cup Play-offs on Nov. 20-21. The Canadian teen won two of her biggest junior titles this season – first at the J100 Calgary, then topping it at the J200 Montreal.
Mercier’s professional tennis career is just beginning, having made her main-draw debuts this year at events such as the W75 Saguenay National Bank Challenger and W75 Tevlin Challenger in Toronto. Now, with her first Billie Jean King Cup nomination, the junior world No. 79 is excited to gain experience and learn from some of Canada’s most-decorated players, like major champions Bianca Andreescu and Gabriela Dabrowski.
“[Billie Jean King Cup] is going to be a really good experience for me. I mean, [Dabrowski] in doubles is amazing and I’m going to learn so much from her, [Andreescu] as well. She has so many great experiences that I’m sure she’s going to enjoy telling me, and hopefully she will,” Mercier added.
Read also: Andreescu Matches Career Best with Fourth Title of 2026
The 18-year-old’s first Billie Jean King Cup tie is not all she has lying ahead, though. In 2027, Mercier will embark on a new chapter in her tennis career as she joins the NCAA’s UCLA Bruins, winners of two Division 1 women’s tennis national championships under current head coach Stella Sampras Webster.
“I think [UCLA’s] team is great. The girls and coaches are super nice. It’s going to be a great environment for me and a good way to go to the next level and put my game up until I can play some pro tournaments all-year round,” Mercier said.
The Quebecker is also entering her third year at the National Tennis Centre presented by Rogers, which recently helped fellow Team Canada teammates Ariana Arseneault and Kayla Cross transition to the pro circuit.
Mercier has the foundation to become the next Canadian to shine on the WTA Tour, and her maiden Billie Jean King Cup appearance in November will only add to the teen’s aspirations.
Feature Photo: Sarah-Jade Champagne
