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Video: Davis Cup draw made for Canada vs. Japan in Vancouver

Tournament referee Wayne McEwen explains how the Davis Cup draw works to a large gathering of media in Vancouver Thursday, March 5, 2015. (Stephanie Myles/opencourt.ca)

VANCOUVER - Despite the number of dignitaries on the dais (and the resultant number of speeches), a Davis Cup draw comes down to one simple thing: the drawing of one name out of the silver bowl.

From that, the entire schedule for the three-day tie is determined.

The name drawn was Japan's Tatsuma Ito, their No. 2 singles player. That meant Ito would play Canadian No. 1 Milos Raonic in the first rubber Friday, followed by No. 1 Japanese Kei Nishikori against No. 2 Canadian Vasek Pospisil.

Saturday is the doubles; the first rubber on Sunday is always a No. 1 vs. No. 1 clash, and the fifth and potentially tiebreaking rubber always comes to No. 2 vs. No. 2.

Here's how it went, along with a sampling of some of the players' comments afterwards.

The players do a pretty good job not looking bored, even though they probably are.

Later on Thursday, with Pospisil and Raonic done for the day, the rest of the squad along with practice partners Filip Peliwo and Adil Shamasdin hit the court at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Centre for a little practice - and a little fun.