Frank Dancevic raises the Canadian flag above his head during after Canada's victory over Korea at the Davis Cup in Montreal in 2024.

Photo : Pascal Ratthe

Montreal is a welcome venue for Team Canada presented by IGA. The Canadian Davis Cup team has won their last three ties in Quebec’s largest city, with the last loss being in the previous century. 

And of course, this weekend’s Davis Cup Qualifiers 1st Round tie against Hungary will be taking place on the exact same court where the Canadians defeated the Republic of Korea a year ago. 

Canadian Davis Cup captain Frank Dancevic, who spoke to the media on Wednesday, is certainly happy to be back. 

“It’s always fun to be back home. In the past seven years since I’ve been captain, we’ve only played here a few times at home so it’s an amazing feeling to be here in front of the home crowd and get that little bit of an advantage. I’m looking forward to the week,” said Dancevic. “We really liked it last time. We thought it was a great ambience for the players. The players loved everything. This is a really nice setup for everybody, it works well for the teams.” 

Tennis in Canada in February is not something inherently logical. Dancevic’s press conference and the team’s open practice on Wednesday took place while the snow was piling up outside IGA Stadium. Of course, the matches will be played safely indoors on a temporary court. 

CLICK HERE to meet the members of Team Canada. 

The captain was asked about the court where the matches will be played this weekend and was pressed on whether he felt a roof should be built on the main outdoor court at IGA Stadium and if having 12,000 fans on the big court would be better than the smaller crowd indoors this weekend. 

“I don’t know how much of a difference [having a big stadium] would make. It’s a good atmosphere. Everything feels really close to the court. It’s a great ambience for the players. We’re really happy with the setup,” explained Dancevic. 

Photo : Pascal Ratthe

It’s 3000 people but it feels like it’s a lot bigger because of the atmosphere. Tennis Canada did a really good job of making a really good ambience for the tie. We did it here in the past and the players and everybody really enjoyed the atmosphere. Whether it’s 3000 here or 10,000 in a bigger stadium, sometimes it doesn’t really change much on court. It’s more the ambience, what the players feel. Sometimes we play in big stadiums but you don’t really hear the crowd as much as an ambience like this. As a player, I prefer this than a big stadium because you know you’re going to get a sold-out crowd and you know it’s going to be a great atmosphere. And I know the players really enjoy it.” 

Portuguese Preview 

It may have slipped under the radar for casual tennis fans, but an ATP Challenger event last week in Oeiras, Portugal, may have some interesting implications for this week’s tie. 

Four of the 10 players suiting up in Montreal this week were competing in Oeiras. Canadians Alexis Galarneau, Liam Draxl, and Cleeve Harper were all in the draws, while Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics was the top seed in singles. 

“I have it recorded on my computer,” joked Dancevic when asked about the event. 

The first piece of intrigue came in round two, when Galarneau defeated Fucsovics in straight sets.  

This weekend, Galarneau and Fucsovics are both their nation’s second-highest-ranked player at the Davis Cup. Were they both to be nominated along with Gabriel Diallo and Fabian Maroszan, the projected No. 1s, they could have a rematch in the decisive fifth rubber. 

But it may not be that simple.  

Galarneau went on to reach the semifinals, where he was beaten by none other than Draxl. By reaching the final in Oeiras, the Newmarket-ON native’s second Challenger singles final already in 2025, Draxl moved into the Top 200 on the ATP Tour for the first time in his career and now sits just five spots back of his Davis Cup teammate. 

CLICK HERE to meet the members of Team Hungary.

It is a bit of a strange turnaround, to go from rivals to teammates in just a couple of days, but Dancevic explained that “It’s normal for us as players. It happens every week, we could play friends or fellow Canadians. It’s something we’re used to on tour. It happened to me a lot that I played fellow Canadians when I was on tour. We’re used to it. It’s completely normal. This week, when they’re together, they’re friends. It’s like nothing happened. That’s how it goes. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. That’s the life of a tennis player.” 

So, if Galarneau beat Fucsovics, a potential opponent this weekend, but Draxl beat Galarneau, who plays? 

“It could definitely influence the decision,” said the captain. “There is still lots of time before the matches for practice and to see how our guys are playing and how the other guys are. Everything is on the table and the decisions will be made before the match but there are a lot of things I consider before deciding who will play.” 

Read also: Keys, Sinner Win Australian Open Singles Titles

Draxl and Harper teamed up to win the doubles title in Oeiras, making a strong case to earn the nomination for the doubles match on Sunday. The pair are currently the top two Canadians in the ATP doubles rankings and have won five titles (out of seven finals) together since the US Open. 

When it comes to making the doubles selection, “sometimes, this can affect the decisions. There are a lot of decisions to be made on this team,” said Dancevic. “We have Vasek [Pospisil], who is very experienced in doubles, who has won a Grand Slam, who was Top 5 in the world. We have guys who have good chemistry. It’s a good problem to have, to have lots of options. Some teams have no choice, they have to play certain players. For us to have more options, that’s better for us. 

The nominations for the tie will be announced at the draw on Friday, Jan. 31. 

CLICK HERE for everything you need to know about the 2025 Davis Cup Qualifiers 1st Round in Montreal.

Tickets for the Davis Cup Qualifiers 1st Round tie between Canada and Hungary are now on sale. Join us February 1 and 2 at IGA Stadium in Montreal, as the Canadian team begins their quest for the 2025 Davis Cup Final 8. To access tickets at early-bird pricing, click here.

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