Tennis Canada – Toronto, September 15, 2018 – Facing off against two experienced doubles players, Canada was defeated in four sets 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 by the Netherlands on Saturday at Davis Cup by BNP Paribas in Toronto. Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil fell to Matwe Middelkoop and Jean-Julien Rojer on day two at Coca-Cola Coliseum to cut Canada’s lead to 2-1 heading into the final day on Sunday.
 
The Canadians got off to a strong start, breaking their opponents in the opening game of the match and holding onto the lead to take the first set, but the Dutch duo fought back to win the next three sets. In the end, Middelkoop (no. 32 in the world) and Rojer (no. 20 in the world) broke the Canadian pair three times in eight tries while Canada only managed the one break at the start. Middelkoop and Roger were playing their first match together.  
 
“Playing together for the first time, we had to make some adjustments after losing that first set. We went back to the basics without playing to fancy and made sure to focus on our strengths which worked well for us. I think we played some much better tennis from then on,” Middelkoop said after the match.

“The guys gave their hearts out today, but we ended up going down and that’s the nature of Davis Cup of course. I still think we are in a good position. Robin had a very long and physical match yesterday which gives us an advantage with Milos being fresh. Milos played very well on Friday so hopefully he can get a good start, get ahead and get the business done,” said Canadian team captain Frank Dancevic  

 

Nestor hangs up his racquet after 29 years on Tour

Daniel Nestor, the most decorated player in Canadian tennis history, played the final match of his illustrious career on Saturday. The 46-year-old played on the ATP World Tour for nearly three decades, capturing 91 titles, including eight Grand Slam trophies, along the way. The Canadian legend will be honoured during an on-court ceremony before Sunday’s singles matches which begin at 2 p.m. E.T.

 

“It didn’t end the way I wanted to. But it was very special to end my career in Toronto. I was very thrilled when I first found out that this tie was going to be played here. I was really looking forward to this match, it was an important one for me. I prepared well for it but my level is just not good enough anymore,” Nestor admitted.

 

“It was an honor for me to be on the court with him. I really wanted to win this match for him so I was very focused on all the little details in practice all week to make sure we had the best preparation possible, but they played well and we were a bit unfortunate at times. It’s been a fun ride playing with Daniel all these years. He became one of my best friends on tour, so I will really miss him,” Pospisil explained.

Daniel Nestor’s career  by the numbers

29 years on the ATP World Tour

91 titles, 8 being Grand Slam titles

1 Olympic Gold medal
1+ title in 23 straight seasons (1994-2016)

Wins in 38 different countries and with 43 different partners

1 of only 6 players with more than 1,000 wins on the ATP

 

He holds many Davis Cup records for Canada

–      Most wins (48)

–      Most doubles wins (33)

–      Most ties played (52)

–      Most year played (25)

 

 

RAONIC VS. DE HAASE – This will be their second meeting. Raonic leads 1-0.
 

RAONIC	HAASE
27 years old	31 years old
World no. 20	World no. 44
Career-high: world no. 3 (November 2016)	Career-high: world no. 33 (July 2012)
12th Davis Cup tie	22nd Davis Cup tie
Davis Cup record: 17-6	Davis Cup record: 34-22

SHAPOVALOV VS. DE BAKKER – This will be their first meeting
 

SHAPOVALOV	DE BAKKER
19 years old	27 years old
World no. 34	World no. 236
Career-high: world no. 23 (Juin 2018)	Career-high: world no. 40 (Juillet 2010)
5th Davis Cup tie	21st Davis Cup tie
Davis Cup record: 5-3	Davis Cup record: 18-16

 
 
Match Schedule
 
Davis Cup World Group play-off tie
Canada vs. Netherlands
September 14-16, 2018
Coca-Cola Coliseum
Score: 2-1
 

Date	Match	Result
Friday, September 14	First singles match	Raonic b. de Bakker 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
Friday, September 14	Second singles match	Shapovalov d. Haase 3-6, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4
Saturday, September 15	Doubles match	Middelkoop/Rojer d. Nestor/Pospisil 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
Sunday, September 16	Third singles match	Raonic vs Haase
Sunday, September 16	Fourth singles match	Shapovalov vs de Bakker

The matches will be broadcast on Sportsnet.
 
About Davis Cup
Davis Cup by BNP Paribas is the World Cup of Tennis. It is the largest annual international team competition in sport, with 133 teams entered in 2018. The competition is 118 years old, having been founded in 1900. The title sponsor is BNP Paribas (Official Bank of Davis Cup). International sponsors are Rolex (Official Timekeeper) and Adecco (Official HR Sponsor), while Head (Official Ball) is an international partner. beIN SPORTS is the Official Global Media Rights Partner. Follow all the action on www.daviscup.com and www.copadavis.com
 
About Tennis Canada
Founded in 1890, Tennis Canada is a non-profit, national sport association with a mission to lead the growth of tennis in Canada and a vision to become a world-leading tennis nation. We value teamwork, passion, integrity, innovation and excellence. Tennis Canada owns and operates the premier Rogers Cup presented by National Bank WTA and ATP World Tour events, 9 professional ITF sanctioned events and financially supports 13 other professional tournaments in Canada. Tennis Canada operates junior national training centres/programs in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Tennis Canada is a proud member of the International Tennis Federation, the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Canadian Paralympic Committee and the International Wheelchair Tennis Association, and serves to administer, sponsor and select the teams for Davis Cup, Fed Cup, the Olympic and Paralympic Games and all wheelchair, junior and senior national teams. Tennis Canada invests its surplus into tennis development. For more information on Tennis Canada please visit our Web site at: www.tenniscanada.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.