Alexis Galarneau will replace the injured Milos Raonic on the Canadian roster at next week’s Davis Cup group stage in Manchester, England.
The world No. 220 from Laval, Que., joins a lineup that includes Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo and Vasek Pospisil of Vernon, B.C.
Raonic, a former world No. 3 who’s currently ranked 228th, recently suffered a broken toe, Tennis Canada said Wednesday in a news release.
“It is unfortunate that Milos will be unable to join us in Manchester for the Davis Cup group stage,” said team captain Frank Dancevic. “We wish him the best in his recovery. We are blessed with great strength in depth, and so are delighted to welcome a player of Alexis’ quality to the team.
“As he has shown in the past, Alexis can be relied upon to produce a very high level, and he will be an extremely valuable addition to our roster.”
Canada, the lone seeded team in Group D, will open play Tuesday against Argentina at the AO Arena. Canada will play Finland on Sept. 12 before taking on host Great Britain on Sept. 15.
Canada wins 1st-ever Davis Cup title in 2022
Galarneau made his Davis Cup debut in a qualifier tie against the Netherlands in 2022. Canada went on to win its first Davis Cup title later that year.
The 25-year-old won two singles and two doubles rubbers in group stage play last year as Canada secured a berth in the Final 8. Canada was eliminated by Finland in the quarterfinals.
“Playing for Canada has always brought out the best in me so I’m thrilled to be invited to join the team in Manchester,” Galarneau said. “I want to wish Milos a speedy recovery, but I’ll do my best to make Canada proud and can’t wait to play in front of a great crowd in Manchester.”
The top two teams in each of the four groups will advance to the Final 8 in Malaga, Spain, in November.
Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., has a 19-6 career record in Davis Cup play. He said “it hurts me a lot” to have to pull out.
“The Canadian team is looking incredibly strong and with Gabriel’s great play lately it is even deeper than ever before,” he said. “As I recover, I will be cheering and supporting the guys as they push through the group stage. I hope I can join the team later this year as they look to win the Davis Cup for the second time.”
At No. 19, Auger-Aliassime is the only Canadian player currently ranked in the top 100. Diallo, who recently reached the third round of the U.S. Open, is ranked 143rd in the world, 38 spots behind Shapovalov.
Pospisil, a former world No. 4 in doubles, has mostly played on the lower-level Challenger tour this season.
Defending champion Italy, which will host Group A play at Bologna, is seeded first overall.
Australia (No. 2) is the seeded entry in Group B at Valencia, Spain. Canada is seeded third overall ahead of Germany, the lone seeded entry in Group C at Zhuhai, China.