It is not because someone is celebrating their birthday away from home and their loved ones will necessarily be deprived of a beautiful gift. Talk to Quebec tennis player Alexis Galarneau.
On Wednesday, the young man from Laval celebrated his 23rd birthday in The Hague, the Netherlands, along with Brayden Schnur, Steven Diez, Peter Polansky and Frank Dancevic, leader of the Canadian Davis Cup team, among others.
On the spot, Dansevic offered her an unexpected gift, without wrapping paper or ribbon. It came at the end of a sentence like “Alexis, you will play the first Davis Cup match on Friday”.
From 332nd place in the ATP world rankings, Galarneau will try to help Canada win the qualifying match against the Netherlands and secure a ticket to the Davis Cup Final, which will take place in the autumn.
Galarneau will face Botic van de Zandschulp, the best Dutch player due to his 50th place in the world rankings, on Friday afternoon (morning in Quebec).
“We had a ‘meeting’ between the players and Frank. I did not even know it was the “line-up”. “I got there unexpectedly,” Galarneau told the Canadian Press on Thursday.
“Finally Frank got straight to the point and said, ‘For the first day, I’m going to go with Steven to single number 1, then I’m going to go with Alexis to single number two.’ »
Galarneau acknowledges this: he was immediately shocked to hear the decision. Once the shock was over, he had to share his happiness.
“I did not expect to play. My teammates are very good players with experience. I had no expectations. I just wanted to enjoy my week, support my teammates and gain more experience. “But being able to play there changes my mindset a bit and I’m very excited about this ‘challenge,'” admitted Galarneau, who was quick to share the good news with his parents, two siblings and his sister. . .
“They are proud of me and I am happy that I can make them proud. “That’s why I play tennis,” he said.
Galarneau’s teammates were just as happy for him.
“After all, after that, we went to dinner. Alain Beaupré, the ‘manager’ of the team, organized a big surprise for me with a beautiful cake that we all ate together. It was a wonderful evening that ended well. I will remember it for a long time. »
According to the preliminary program announced on Thursday, Galarneau will play another match with Tallon Griekspoor (60th) on Saturday, while Diez is going to cross swords with van de Zandschulp on the same day.
As for Snur and Polanski, their names are mentioned for the doubles match with Wesley Kulhoff and Matve Middelcoop, which is scheduled for Saturday.
The games will be played on dirt, a surface that Galarneau says he likes.
inspirational moment
Galarneau, who wore the colors of North Carolina State University for five years, from 2016 to 2021, will experience the Davis Cup for the first time in his career as a player.
In September 2012, Galarneau experienced this tournament in a different context, leaving him with lasting memories.
On this occasion, at the National Bank Stadium at the Uniprix Stadium, Canada played against South Africa to remain in the Davis Cup World Group.
Canada won the match 4-1 with single wins twice by Milos Raonic, Vasek Pospisil and Dancevic.
“I was there with Félix (Auger-Aliassime) and Nicaise (Muamba). We were probably 13 or 14 years old. We sat a little behind the Canadian bench, we felt like we were part of the team and we were from the National Center (of Tennis Canada). “For me, it was a defining moment,” admits Galarneau.
“It was the event, after the Rogers Cup, that had the biggest impact on my tennis, on my ambitions to become a professional player. And playing as a team, for me, is special, because I’m someone who likes to play as a team. And representing my country means playing for more than yourself. I like that in sports. “playing for more than yourself,” he added.
Spain without Nadal, Germany with Zverev
Spain without Rafael Nadal and Germany with the surprise presence of Alexander Zverev will also try to advance to the next phase.
For their play-off match, the Spaniards welcome Romania to Marbella, while the Germans travel to Brazil, to Rio de Janeiro.
“We are delighted to have Alexander in the game,” said Germany captain Michael Kohlmann.
Zverev, No. 3 in the world and now 24, said he would not participate in the Davis Cup with his new form introduced in 2019. That year, he played in the qualifying match he won against Hungary, but had not traveled to Madrid. for the finals and had abandoned the 2021 edition after the event was canceled in 2020 due to COVID.
His last appearance in court, in February in Acapulco, gave rise to behavior that he later considered “unacceptable”.
At the end of a double match he lost in the super tiebreak, he repeatedly hit the referee’s chair with his racket, which earned him the exclusion from his simple and $ 40,000 tournament.
“Now we want to help him get through this difficult phase,” he said.
For his part, Nadal is on the American continent where he participates in the Indian Wells Masters 1000 that starts on March 10.
At the end of this qualifying round, twelve nations will join Croatia (2021 runners-up), Serbia and Great Britain (guests) for the group stage of the final tournament (September 14-18). The defense of the champion Russia has been excluded until recently by the International Federation (ITF) in retaliation for the war in Ukraine.
The schedule of the games for the qualifying round of Davis Cup 2022 that will take place on Friday and Saturday:
In Pau
France – Ecuador
In Marbella
Spain – Romania
At Espoo
Finland – Belgium
In Reno
United States – Colombia
In The Hague
Netherlands – Canada
In Rio de Janeiro
Brazil – Germany
In Bratislava
Slovakia – Italy
In Sydney
Australia – Hungary
