Tebbutt: The stage is set

The only drama during yesterday’s official draw ceremony for this weekend’s Davis Cup tie between Canada and France was who would be playing the first singles match when things get underway at 2 p.m. PST (5 p.m. EST) on Friday.

Referee Wayne McKewen of Australia put the names of the four singles players in a cup and when Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s name came out it meant that the French No. 1 would play Canadian No. 2 Vasek Pospisil in the opener.

Before that, McKewen had announced the four singles players, as well as the prospective doubles combinations. French captain Guy Forget caused a bit of a surprise by selecting Julien Benneteau ahead of Gael Monfils for the second singles for his team.

There had been much talk about Monfils’ balky right knee all week and that was ultimately the reason Forget opted for the No. 35-ranked Benneteau instead of the No. 13 Monfils, who has chronic problems with his knees. I was told that he would not be able to play without a support bands he always has wrapped tightly below both joints.

“Julien is in good form,” Forget explained about picking Benneteau in place of Monfils. “He beat Milos indoors not so long ago (at the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris in November) and he plays well indoors. He’s been here since last Friday and has prepared really well.

“On the other hand, Gael (who didn’t practice until Tuesday after losing in the Montpelier final to Tomas Berdych last Sunday) is confident with his game but still a question mark as far as his knee.

“Gael had a big test yesterday (Wednesday). He played with Tsonga for two hours and his knee was a little tight at the end. I think it was wiser to choose the guy who is able to play a five-hour match.

“It was a risk to play Gael starting Friday. He will get better with each day and if I have to call on him for Sunday (the reverse singles), he’ll be at 100 per cent.”

Canadian captain Martin Laurendeau was not unprepared for the news that Benneteau would be substituted for Monfils, noting that the French had four very good players and that he wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Monfils inserted on Sunday.

The way the schedule has worked out, it will be a tall order for Pospisil, 21 and ranked No. 115, to pull off an upset against Tsonga, 27 and ranked No. 6.

If he does that would really give Canada a great shot to win the tie, if he does not then he will at least be more rested for the doubles than Benneteau who plays the later match against Raonic.

The fact that Benneteau defeated Raonic 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 6-4 in the first round of the BNP Paribas masters at the Paris/Bercy indoor arena may actually be a good thing for Raonic in terms of motivation. There may have been some fitness issues when he played Benneteau in Paris, and it was his last tournament after a hectic end to the season as he returned from hip surgery the previous July.

There was only one break of serve in the match and if the No. 29-ranked Raonic is able to step up his return of serve against Benneteau, he will have a great chance of winning.

I think that the French are about 60-40 favourites to defeat Canada, but with a highly-partisan crowd behind the Maple Leaf boys, and the well-known unpredictability of Davis Cup, there is definitely a decent chance of an upset.

Should that happen, Canadian fans will be very interested in the result of the USA – Switzerland tie in Fribourg, Switzerland, this weekend. The winner of that one would travel to Canada for a tie from April 6-8. And everyone knows who that means might be coming to town from the land of fine chocolate and precision timepieces.

At the Thunderbird Sports Centre on the campus of the University of British Columbia, things are just about set for the kick-off on Friday. The two umpires for the five matches will be Ali Nili of Iran and Jake Garner from the United States (below).

The site has gotten closer and closer to game shape with each passing day and on Thursday the cameras, camera positions and commentary positions behind the court were getting their finishing touches. From start to finish the matches will be carried on Sportsnet and TVA Sports.

Canada and France last met in 1966 in a tie played on the red clay at Roland Garros. Led by Pierre Darmon and Francois Jauffret, the French prevailed 5-0 over a Canadian team with Mike Belkin and Harry Fauquier as its singles players.

The two nations were supposed to meet in 1922 but France received a walkover victory. Inquiries here have not yet produced an explanation for that result.

So, this is just the second official meeting since Canada entered Davis Cup in 1913. France first participated in the competition in 1904, four years after the initial challenge match-up between the United States and Britain.

RANKINGS CLAIRVOYANCE

The story has been widely told about how Milos Raonic and his coach Galo Blanco put their guesses for Raonic’s 2011 year-end ATP ranking in sealed envelopes before the season began.

With Raonic starting the year at No. 156, Blanco was remarkably prescient, hitting exactly on Raonic’s 2011 finish of No. 31. Raonic had predicted No. 47.

On Thursday, I asked Galo if he and Milos had done the same thing for the 2012 year. He said they had and when I guessed that he had chosen No. 7 and Milos had picked No. 12. He said I was not correct – at least not for his prediction.

Then I talked to Milos and told him about my guesses of No. 7 for Galo and No. 12 for him.

“You’re not far off,” he commented. But when I said that I thought his guess would be more conservative than Galo’s, he corrected me. “Not this year,” he said.

NESTOR FETED

At the end of Wednesday night’s Davis Cup dinner at the Vancouver Convention Centre, Daniel Nestor was honoured on the 20th anniversary of his historic victory over Stefan Edberg in a Davis Cup World Group opening-round tie that was also played in Vancouver.

The highlight of the tribute was a video-taped message from Edberg. Shy and self-effacing by nature, the 45-year-old Swede was charming and gracious in offering his best wishes to Nestor, even throwing in a little humour.