Captain Frank Dancevic says there are still many unknowns as ninth-ranked Canada prepares to host No. 18 Brazil in the first round of this weekend’s Davis Cup qualifiers.
Canada will be led by 24-year-old Gabriel Diallo of Montreal, who is ranked 39th in the world, and Liam Draxl of Newmarket, Ontario, who is ranked 146th.
Brazil doesn’t have a top-200 singles player in its lineup.
“It’s a challenge because you’re playing against an opponent where you don’t know the feel of his serve, how it’s going to come and his history,” Dancevic told a media conference on Tuesday. “There are different tendencies, different players. Boys can play at a much higher level than their ranking.
“They can surprise you. Everyone has their own way of playing and their own style.”
Dancevic and his players will search the internet for games from the past played by the Brazilians to learn as much as possible.
“You have the most control over yourself,” he said. “Prepare yourself as best as you can when you start the matches, and then you can adapt during the matches.”
Joining Diallo and Draxl on the Canadian team are Alexis Galarneau of Laval, Que., Cleeve Harper of Calgary and Nicolas Arseneault of Richmond Hill, Ont. The team has a combined 29 Davis Cup match experience.
The most experienced player for Brazil is doubles player Rafael Matos, who is making his tenth appearance. The rest of the team – Joao Lucas Reis da Silva, Gustavo Heidi, Matheus Pucinelli De Almeida and Orlando Luz – have eleven matches experience between them.
Brazil captain Jaime Oncins has no doubt Canada is the favorite heading into the weekend.
“Sometimes it’s good to be the underdog,” he said. “We have a good team. We are ready. We have a lot of fights. We will be ready for what is coming.”
Diallo comes to Vancouver following a first-round loss to German Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open. Last year was his first full season on tour, during which he broke into the Top 50 and climbed as high as No. 33. He won his first tour-level title on grass at the Libema Open in the Netherlands.
“He’s an incredible player and an incredible athlete,” Dancevic said. “He has found his way on tour and developed big weapons. His athleticism shines on the field.
“He can do so much and his level has only increased year after year. He is currently the leader of the team.”
The games will be played Friday and Saturday at the University of British Columbia’s Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.
A ceremony will take place on Saturday in honor of Vasek Popisil, the Canadian tennis veteran who recently announced his retirement.
Dancevic said the team competing this weekend represents a changing of the guard in Canadian tennis. Galarneau is the oldest player at 26 years old.
The team will have to make do without world number 8 Félix Auger-Aliassime and number 25 Denis Shapovalov, who, together with Pospisil, made important contributions to Canada’s only Davis Cup title in 2022.
“They are the next generation of young Canadians coming up,” Dancevic said. “This is the beginning of a new era, the young guys who will take over the leadership of Team Canada in the future.
“It’s pretty exciting to be a part of that.”
The competition consists of best-of-five matches, with each match being best-of-three sets.
The winning country will advance to the second qualifying round of the Davis Cup in September, against France or Slovakia. The loser will participate in the World Cup Group I in September.
If the Canadians win this weekend, they are guaranteed to host the next tie at a venue to be confirmed.
This will be the first meeting between Canada and Brazil since 2007 and the seventh overall. Brazil leads the head-to-head clash 4-2 and won that most recent meeting 18 years ago 3-1 on clay in Brazil.
Last year, Canada lost to Hungary in the 2025 first round of qualifying at Montreal’s IGA Stadium.
It will be the first time a Davis Cup match has been played in Vancouver since 2015, when Canada defeated Japan.
“This is a place where we always enjoy playing as a team,” said Dancevic. “We’ve always had great support. We’re super excited about the weekend.”
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