2024 World Cup of Tennis: Canada’s Billie Jean king Cup and Davis Cup Teams Each Eyeing Second Title – Tennis Canada

OVERVIEW 

For the first time in history, the best women’s and men’s tennis teams on the planet will all come together to crown the world champions. 

The 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Finals and Davis Cup Finals will both be played in Malaga, Spain in November. The women’s event will run from Nov. 13 to 20 with the men’s event taking place from Nov. 19 to 24. 

Canada is one of six countries sending two teams to Malaga as both the Billie Jean King Cup team and Davis Cup team have qualified. Canada is the only nation competing to have won both titles at least once in the last five years. 

Billie Jean King Cup 

Canada are the defending champions at the Billie Jean King Cup, having won the title in 2023. Four of the five members of the championships team are back: Leylah Annie Fernandez, Gabriela Dabrowski, Marina Stakusic, and Rebecca Marino. Heidi El Tabakh is also back as captain. 

CLICK HERE to learn more about Canada’s Billie Jean King Cup Team.

After a bye, Canada will play their quarter-final tie against either Great Britain or Germany on Nov. 17 at 5:00 pm local time, 11:00 am EST. Canada is the No. 1 ranked team in the Billie Jean King Cup competition. 

Davis Cup 

Two years removed from their victory in Malaga, the men’s team also has four of five players who lifted the trophy in 2022 back for this year’s Final 8. Denis Shapovalov, Gabriel Diallo, Alexis Galarneau and Vasek Pospisil will all don the red and white once again, as they did in the Group Stage in September. Milos Raonic, who played for Canada last year in Malaga and was on the team during the qualifying round in February, rounds out the squad captained by Frank Dancevic. 

Diallo, Galarneau, and Pospisil have been nominated to the Canadian squad for all three phases of the 2024 Davis Cup, including the upcoming Final 8.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Canada’s Davis Cup Team.

Canada’s bid for a second title will begin the same way it did in 2022, with a quarter-final clash against Germany. The tie will take place on Nov. 20 at noon local time, 6:00 am EST. 

If the Billie Jean King Cup team reaches the final, they will play for the title on the same day that the Davis Cup team plays their quarter-final. 

HOW TO WATCH

Viewers can watch Team Canada’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals and Davis Cup Final 8 ties for free on CBC Gem, cbcsports.ca, the CBC Sports app, and CBC Sports’ official YouTube channel. The ties will also be available in French, as TVA Sports and TVA Sports Direct will be showing Canada’s matchups, as well as all semi-finals and finals. The schedule can be found below.

Billie Jean King Cup Finals

• Canada vs. Germany/Great Britain (QF) on Sunday, November 17, not before 11 a.m. EST
• Semi-final 1 on Monday, November 18 at 11 a.m. EST*
• Semi-final 2 on Tuesday, November 19 at 6 a.m. EST*
• Finals on Wednesday, November 20 at 12 p.m. EST

Davis Cup Final 8

• Canada vs. Germany (QF) on Wednesday, November 20 at 6 a.m. EST
• Semi-final 1 on Friday, November 22 at 11 a.m. EST*
• Semi-final 2 on Saturday, November 23 at 7 a.m. EST*
• Finals on Sunday, November 24 at 10 a.m. EST

*Exact semifinal to be confirmed

ROAD TO MALAGA 

Billie Jean King Cup 

Team Canada had a direct route to the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Malaga as their 2023 title earned them a bye, allowing them to skip the qualifying round. Additionally, as the No. 1 team in the Billie Jean King Cup rankings, Canada will have a bye directly into the quarter-finals. 

Davis Cup 

Qualifiers 

The Canadian men kicked off their 2024 campaign on home soil in Montreal in February, the Davis Cup team’s first home tie in five years. Despite being without their top two players, the Canadian squad defeated the Republic of Korea 3-1 to advance to the 2024 Davis Cup Finals group stage. 

Group Stage 

Drawn in Group D for the Group Stage in Manchester, the full-strength Canadian squad led by Félix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov cruised to the top of the group, winning all three of their ties against Argentina, Finland, and Great Britain, going 7-2 in matches overall and not losing a set in singles all week to punch their ticket to the Final 8. 

REVISITING THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 

2023 Billie Jean King Cup 

Qualifiers 

Canada’s 2023 campaign got underway on home soil with a second consecutive qualifying tie held in Vancouver. Leylah Annie Fernandez put the team on her back, scoring all three points for the hosts as Canada took out Belgium to qualify for the Finals in Seville. 

Finals 

The Canadians cruised through what looked to be a potentially tricky Group C in Seville, winning all six matches in two ties against Spain and Poland. A gutsy choice by captain Heidi El Tabakh to start newcomer Marina Stakusic paid off in a big way as the teen won both her singles matches to help Canada through the group. 

In the semis, they shocked the superpower Czechs with an upset win in the deciding doubles before Stakusic and Fernandez slammed the door on Italy in the final. 

2022 Davis Cup 

Group Stage 

Félix Auger-Aliassime’s late decision to join the team for the Group Stage proved critical for the Canadians as he put the squad on his back in Valencia. The Canadian No. 1 went 4-1, including two decisive doubles wins with Vasek Pospisil and an upset over newly-minted US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz, who was making his debut as world No. 1, to help Canada finish second in Group B and qualify for Malaga. 

Final 8 

The quarter and semifinals followed similar scripts, with Canada dropping the opening singles match only for Auger-Aliassime to dominate the second singles before the Canadian team snuck it out in the doubles. There was no such drama in the final as both Denis Shapovalov and Auger-Aliassime won in straight sets to earn Canada its first title in 109 years of competing at the Davis Cup. 

LISTEN: Interviews with the Members of Team Canada

Throughout 2024, the members of Team Canada have sat down with Match Point Canada, the official English podcast of Tennis Canada and the National Bank Open. Check out the interviews:

WATCH: Game. Set. Canada 

Want to know more about Canada’s recent history at the Billie Jean King and Davis Cups? Check out Game. Set. Canada, the web documentary series following the exploits of Team Canada.