Montreal, June 12, 2012 – After South Africa gave up its right to host the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas tie against the Miele Canadian Davis Cup team, Tennis Canada has selected Montreal to stage the World Group playoff tie. The matches will be played on Court 1 at Uniprix Stadium from September 14-16, 2012.
“South Africa is a tough opponent, so being able to play at home in front of our fans is a great advantage,” said Team Canada captain Martin Laurendeau. “Our team has gained a lot of experience over the past few years and our results show that we belong with the best countries in the world. This tie is important for us to keep our place in the World Group.”
Davis Cup returns to the province of Quebec for the first time since 2006 when Canada defeated Venezuela at the Granby Tennis Club. Furthermore, 1997 marks the last time that a Davis Cup tie was held in Montreal. That year, Canada played two ties in the city, defeating both Venezuela and the Bahamas.
“We are very happy to be able to host a prestigious event like Davis Cup in Montreal,” said Eugène Lapierre, Vice-President of Professional Tennis in Quebec. “Montrealers have proven in the past that they are passionate tennis fans and we are proud to offer them the opportunity to live the unique experience that is Davis Cup which is unlike any other tournament played throughout the year.”
Milos Raonic (Thornhill, ON) will play in Montreal for the first time since his remarkable climb up the ATP World Tour rankings. His last visit to Montreal came in 2009 at the Rogers Cup when he qualified for the main draw and fell to Chilean Fernando Gonzalez in a tightly contested first round encounter. Daniel Nestor (Toronto, ON), one of the greatest doubles players of all-time, will also be in action. Vasek Pospisil (Vancouver, BC), Frank Dancevic (Niagara Falls, ON) and Peter Polansky (Thornhill, ON) are among the players who could be named to the Miele Canadian Davis Cup team for the tie.
“The whole team is very excited to play in Montreal,” said Nestor, veteran of the Canadian squad. “It is a city we know very well having played the Rogers Cup on many occasions and the atmosphere is always amazing. We know that we will be able to count on great crowd support.”
South Africa and Canada have played once before in Davis Cup, a century ago in 1913 and it was Canada who came away with the victory.
In February, the Canadian squad lost its World Group first round tie to France, in Vancouver. As a result of this loss, the Canadians now have to defend their place among the world’s elite, and a win against South Africa will allow them to keep their place in the World Group for 2013.
The matches will be played on Court 1 at Uniprix Stadium which has a capacity of 4,269 seats. Two singles matches will be played on Friday September 14. The doubles match will be held on Saturday September 15 and the reverse singles matches will be contested on Sunday September 16. Times will be announced shortly. Sportsnet and TVA Sports will provide comprehensive coverage of the Davis Cup; broadcast details will be announced by the networks in the coming months.
Tickets will go on sale June 18. Please note that from this date until August 14, only Rogers Cup presented by National Bank ticket holders will be able to purchase tickets for Davis Cup. They can do so by calling 1-855-TENNIS-0.
Davis Cup by BNP Paribas is the biggest international team event and features more than 130 countries. Only 16 countries qualify for the prestigious World Group every year.
