Tennis Canada announced that the tickets for Canada’s Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group First Round match against Spain sold out in just 80 minutes. The Canadian fans are clearly eager to see how their young star Milos Raonic copes with leading his nation against the favourites for the competition.
Raonic, the world No. 13, has cemented himself as one of the best young players on the tour and will lead out a team which many people believe could make regular appearances in the latter stages of the Davis Cup in the near future. Vasek Pospisil is another promising young player and, though ranked No. 125 in the world, he has produced some of his best tennis in Davis Cup matches. When you add the experienced doubles specialist, and recent recipient of the Davis Cup Commitment Award, Daniel Nestor, into the equation, you have a team which could easily cause an upset, and that will be exactly what the Canadian supporters will be hoping for.
However, they will have to contend with a Spanish side which has reached four of the last five finals, winning three of those. Spain has been the dominant force in Davis Cup tennis since the turn of the millennium, and could be set to welcome back Rafael Nadal, who has not played since July due to a knee injury. Even without Nadal, Spain is a force to be reckoned with. David Ferrer is the world No. 5 and had the best year of his life in 2012, winning 7 titles, and Nicolas Almagro is ranked No. 11 and showed throughout last year’s Davis Cup that he has what it takes to compete with the very best.
Spain and Canada have only ever met once before, in 1991, with Spain winning that match 4-1, and, while Spain will be looking for a result like that one, Canada is a nation growing with confidence, and one which must not be underestimated.
The Davis Cup World Group First Round match between Canada and Spain takes place on 1-3 February in the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre in Vancouver, Canada.