Canada turns to Nestor once again
Daniel Nestor is so old, he played in the most recent Davis Cup held in Edmonton — in 1996.
“I remember it because it’s not that often you come back from two sets down and I came back from two sets down. Then I lost the match,” said the legendary doubles player, who turned 45 a week ago.
Played in the Butterdome at the University of Alberta, it was the opening game against Chile and one of the longest singles games in Canadian Davis Cup history. It was a 6-4, 7-6 (6), 6-7 (5), 3-6, 14-12 loss to Marcelo Rios.
On Saturday, Nestor will play in the 1 p.m. doubles match, likely partnered with Vasek Pospisil against India in the make-orbreak, best-of-five series which can put Canada back in the 16-nation World Group main event of the World Cup of Tennis.
Only six players in Davis Cup history, which dates back to 1900, have won more games than Nestor. He’s 32-10. The record is 42 owned by Italy’s Nicola Pietrangeli.
This is Nestor’s 51st Davis Cup appearance. Well, officially, he’s now Daniel Mark Nestor CM — pretty cool for a guy born Danijel Nestorovic in Belgrade, Serbia.
In addition to the Order of Canada, the Toronto-raised doubles player has also won all four tennis majors and won tennis doubles gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Nestor has won 91 men’s doubles titles, including eight Grand Slams, not to mention four Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. He’s the third most-decorated doubles player of all time and has career prize money winnings of US$12.5 million.
Which begs the question: Why is he still volunteering for Canadian Davis Cup duty?
“It’s been a tough season and I wasn’t sure about my status. But Marty (team captain Martin Laurendeau) gave me an opportunity to come and play, and I thought it’s perhaps a good opportunity to turn things around for myself and to help the team.”
For the other members of the team, it’s still special to spend a week as a teammate of the legend.
“It’s so much fun to be part of the team with him. He’s such a fun guy to be around,” 18-year-old rising star Denis Shapovalov said. “It’s really inspiring to be in the same locker-room. He’s a guy I’ve looked up to from the start of my career.”
Nestor says it works both ways. These guys are like the Fountain of Youth for him.
Captain Laurendeau laughs. “I played doubles with Daniel back in 1993,” he said. ”Either he’s a freak or I retired way too early.”