Captain Frank Dancevic said there are a lot of unknowns as ninth-ranked Canada prepares to face 18th-ranked Brazil in the first round of Davis Cup qualifying this weekend.
Team Canada will be led by 24-year-old Gabriel Diallo of Montreal, ranked 39th in the world, and Liam Draxl of Newmarket, Ont., ranked 146th in the world.
There is no singles player ranked in the top 200 on the Brazilian team.
“It’s a challenge because you’re facing an opponent and you don’t know how he (the serve) feels, how it comes, his history,” Danswich said during a media conference on Tuesday. “There are different tendencies, different players. Players can play at a higher level than their rankings.
“They’re going to surprise you. Everyone has their own way of playing and their own style.”
Danswich and his players will be scouring the internet for Brazil’s past games to learn as much as possible.
“You have the most control over yourself,” he said. “Get ready for the game the best you can and then you can adjust as the game goes on.”
Diallo and Draxl are joined on Team Canada by Alexis Galarneau of Laval, Que., Cleeve Harper of Calgary and Nicolas Arseneault of Richmond Hill, Ont. The team has a total of 29 Davis Cup matches.
Brazil’s most experienced player is doubles player Rafael Matos, who is making his tenth appearance. The other members of the squad – Joao Lucas Reis da Silva, Gustavo Heidi, Matheus Pucinelli De Almeida and Orlando Luz – have a combined experience of 11 games.
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’re ready. We have a lot of battles. We’re going to be ready for what’s coming.”
Diallo came to Vancouver after losing to German Alexander Zverev in the first round of the Australian Open. Last year, his first full season on tour, he broke into the top 50, reaching a peak ranking of 33rd. He won his first grass court title at the Dutch Open in Libema.
“He’s an unbelievable player, unbelievable athlete,” Danswich said. “He found his way on tour and developed big weapons. His athleticism shines on the court.
“He can do a lot of things and he’s getting better every year. He’s the leader of the team now.”
The games will be held on Friday and Saturday at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Athletic Center at the University of British Columbia.
On Saturday, a ceremony will be held to honor Canadian tennis veteran Vasek Popisil, who recently announced his retirement.
Danswich said the teams competing this weekend represent a changing of the guard in Canadian tennis. Galarneau is the oldest player at 26 years old.
The team will lose No. 8 Felix Auger-Aliassime and No. 25 Denis Shapovalov, who along with Pospisil were key contributors to Canada’s only Davis Cup title in 2022.
“They are the next generation of young Canadians,” Danswich said. “This is the beginning of a new era where young people will take over Team Canada in the future.
“It’s really exciting to be a part of that.”
The game adopts a best-of-five-set system, with each match being a best-of-three set.
The winning country will advance to the second round of Davis Cup qualifying in September against either France or Slovakia. The loser will play in September’s World Cup Group One.
If Team Canada wins this weekend, they will be guaranteed to host their next game at a yet-to-be-determined venue.
This will be the first and seventh meeting between Canada and Brazil since 2007. Brazil leads 4-2 and won 3-1 on Brazilian clay 18 years ago.
Last year, Canada lost to Hungary in the first round of 2025 qualifying at Montreal’s IGA Arena.
This will be the first time a Davis Cup match will be held in Vancouver since Canada defeated Japan in 2015.
“This is a place where we’ve always loved working as a team,” Danswich said. “We always get amazing support. We’re really excited for the weekend.”
