Canada will be deprived of one of its pillars during the Davis Cup elimination stage. Tennis Canada announced Tuesday afternoon that Quebecer Félix Auger-Aliassime will not represent the country in the quarter-finals of this prestigious men’s team tennis competition which will take place from November 19 to 24, in Malaga, Spain.
He will instead be replaced by Ontarian Milos Raonic, who will complete captain Frank Dancevic’s team made up of Denis Shapovalov, Gabriel Diallo, Alexis Galarneau and Vasek Pospisil.
“After a long season on the ATP circuit, Auger-Aliassime will take the time to recover and invest in a cause that is close to his heart, namely supporting education initiatives in Togo,” indicated Tennis Canada by press release.
“As a tennis player, I know that my influence goes beyond the courts,” Auger-Aliassime said. As the tennis season is long, I have few opportunities to devote myself to humanitarian projects, and this is what led me to make the difficult decision to skip the quarter-finals of the Finals of the Davis Cup in Malaga. »
Raonic was sidelined for most of the season due to injury. Today it is at 244e world level, and even if he has played very little, he has signed three victories at the expense of players in the top-50 this year.
The 33-year-old Ontarian will defend the colors of Canada for the 16the time in his Davis Cup career, where he has a record of 19 wins and six losses.
“Representing Canada on the international stage is always an honor, and I look forward to the opportunity to join the guys in Malaga for the Davis Cup Finals,” said Raonic.
Canada will covet the second Davis Cup in its history, after the one acquired in 2022.