(Montreal) Tennis Canada has announced that Félix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov will not be joining Team Canada in anticipation of the Davis Cup Finals which will take place on November 25.
Tennis Canada officials confirmed the news in a press release on Sunday at noon. In passing, they specified that Steven Diez will join the team as a reinforcement.
Already on Saturday, after losing in the final of the Stockholm Open to American Tommy Paul, Shapovalov had declared that he would not participate in this tournament, for the need of rest during the offseason.
PHOTO JONATHAN NACKSTRAND, FRANCE-PRESSE AGENCY
Denis shapovalov
“It is always a pleasure and an honor for me to represent my country in the framework of the Davis Cup, but I need rest during the off season,” said the Ontarian.
For his part Auger-Aliassime indicated that he has been dragging an injury for some time.
“My doctor recommends rest to allow me to heal this injury before starting the next season,” noted Auger-Aliassime, via the Tennis Canada press release.
“It is always with a lot of pride that I represent my country and therefore, it is not a decision that I took lightly,” added the Montrealer.
Captain Frank Dancevic said he understood the decision of the top two Canadians in the ATP standings.
“We know that since their debut on the professional circuit, Félix and Denis have always made the Davis Cup one of their priorities. This was also the case before that, as they won the Junior Davis Cup in 2015. However, the season has been long and even more trying due to the protocols and measures put in place because of COVID-19 and we understand their decision. ”
The 30-year-old Diez will be making his second Davis Cup appearance with the Canadian team. He made his debut in 2010 when Canada lost to Colombia.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, PRESS ARCHIVES
Steven diez
Diez, which occupies the 259e rank of the ATP Tour standings, climbed to 134e echelon in November 2019. This year, he obtained his best result by advancing to the final of an ATP Challenger tournament in Spain.
This change in the roster means Canada will be represented by Vasek Pospisil, Brayden Schnur, Peter Polansky and Diez. The competition will be run from November 25 to December 5.
The first rounds will take place in three cities: Madrid, Spain, Innsbruck, Austria, and Turin, Italy.
For its part, Team Canada will begin its course in Madrid against Sweden on November 25, then face Kazakhstan on November 28.