Laurendeau felt ready to quit as Davis Cup captain

Martin Laurendeau felt the time was right to give up the job as captain of Canada’s Davis Cup team.

The 53-year-old Laurendeau had enough on his plate coaching rising star Denis Shapovalov and had already served as captain for 12 years.

“Perhaps Denis’s pace was a bit of a catalyst, but it’s a long time to be captain in any team sport,” Laurendeau said Friday on a conference call. “I thought maybe it’s time for another captain to jump in. “Maybe it’s time to refresh the staff and give other people a chance.”

Tennis Canada named Davis Cup veteran Frank Dancevic as the new captain on Thursday.

Dancevic, 33, will oversee the squad for the first time when Canada travels to Osijek, Croatia for a World Group first round series on indoor clay courts Feb. 2 to 4.

Laurendeau took over as captain from Grant Connell in 2004 and managed a Canadian team that, led by singles ace Milos Raonic and doubles veteran Daniel Nestor, battled out of American zone competition to reach the prestigious World Group. Canada is entering its seventh season at the top level.

The best year was 2013 when Canada reached the semifinals for the first time in 100 years, only to lose to Novak Djokovic and Serbia.

The team confirmed its spot for next year with a win over India in September, when Shapovalov won both of his singles matches.

“I just felt it was a good time to finish,” said Laurendeau. “We had a home tie that was a mustwin.

“We have a generation of young players coming up. I wasn’t tired, but a bit diluted from the travels of the tour and a hectic schedule, and the responsibilities of being a captain and a full time coach on tour.”