Canada set to usher in new era

VANCOUVER -- Daniel Nestor has been here before.

Twenty years ago, as a fresh-faced 19-year old, Nestor shocked the tennis world by defeating No. 1 seed Stefan Edberg in this very competition, and in this very city.

"I kind of peaked in that match in my singles career, it only went downhill from there," the Toronto-raised player quipped during a press conference in Vancouver this week. "But obviously doubles picked up. It's a long career -- there's been a lot of ups and downs.

"I've learned a lot along the way but obviously I'm one of the older guys on tour and I bring a little experience to the table and that's why I keep going."

That 1992 tie, eventually won by Sweden, was the last time Vancouver hosted a Davis Cup event. When Canada takes on France in the World Group first-round tie, starting with matches on Friday, it will take a series of similar upsets for the hosts to come out on top.

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Davis Cup on Sportsnet: All matches can be seen live on Sportsnet from Friday-Sunday with coverage beginning at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT. Also, watch the Davis Cup Aftershow following every broadcast, available only on sportsnet.ca.

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Led by sixth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and No. 13 Gael Monfils, and supported by the likes of the capable Julien Benneteau and Michael Llodra, ranked 35th and 45th respectively, the French are heavy favourites.

But just as on that day two decades ago, when the players step out onto the court, seedings are just numbers, according to Nestor. Tennis is no different than any sport, in that when national pride is on the line surprising things can happen.

"You've got a country behind you," Nestor said. "You get that feeling when you're playing that you want to leave it out there. You see so many examples of players playing beyond their abilities in Davis Cup -- not just myself -- in many ties. That's the home crowd and the ability to choose the surface is an equalizer. Once the weekend starts you throw rankings out the window and it's just a dogfight until the end."

Nestor will be joined in that scrap by two promising young Canadian players, No. 29 Milos Raonic and Vasek Pospisil, ranked 115th. Experienced pro Frank Dancevic, seeded 178, rounds out the four-man team.

But it's the young duo that particularly captures the imagination. Both aged 21, Raonic and Pospisil are genuine talents.

Raonic had a spectacular first half in 2011, capturing his first ATP title by defeating No. 1 Fernando Verdasco in the SAP Open, and beat him again days later in the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships proving it wasn't a fluke.

He went on to lose in the finals of that tournament to Andy Roddick, but those two tournaments put him on the map, and last month the Yugoslavian-born Ontario native started 2012 strongly by winning the Aircel Chennai Open in India and reaching the third round of the Australian Open.

Pospisil too has shown promise -- indeed he's the lone member of the team to play a part in each tie to reach this point, as the Canadians defeated Mexico, Ecuador and Israel. Professionally, the Vernon, B.C., native has struggled to get far in the tournaments he has qualified for, but it's early days yet for the youngster with a powerful serve.

"They're pretty far ahead of the game compared to where I was at that time," Nestor said of the pair when asked about what knowledge he could pass on. "They play a lot of big matches on a lot of big courts, so I don't even know if they're going to listen to me."

All jokes aside, the respect the duo has for Nestor, who has won all four Grand Slams in the doubles category, is clear to see.

"Daniel was always an idol growing up," Pospisil said. "I always wanted to be somewhat of a doubles player because of him -- I probably developed my volleying skills because of him."

Raonic admitted during the press conference that he tried to emulate singles players more often, but that Nestor paved the way for Canadian players on the world stage.

"Growing up, Daniel obviously made a big difference," Raonic said. "He really put it out there for us, but a lot of my motivation was internal. Daniel, now this last year, I see him pretty much every week on the road. He's become a good friend and he's nicer now -- even though some don't always believe that -- but he's always got a kind word, so it's good."

Now, young and old, 14th-ranked Canada prepares for the fourth-ranked French juggernauts, led by a 39-year old who isn't ready to quit just yet.

"I'm playing pretty well, I'm still near the top, and I've always told myself I'll play as long as I'm competitive and able to compete in the big tournaments," Nestor said. "Or, if my wife tells me to stop. One of the two. Right now, she's still happy with me playing."

And Canadian tennis fans will surely be happy too.