Absence of Ivanovic, Jankovic doesn’t mean Canada’s a slam-dunk in Fed Cup

MONTREAL – Canada will field the strongest squad in many years for its World Group II Fed Cup tie against Serbia, to be held at Montreal's Centre Claude-Robillard Feb. 8 and 9.

Tennis's current "It" girl, Genie Bouchard, will compete in the annual team competition at home for the first time ever, in her hometown, no less. And Canada will face an undermanned (so to speak) Serbian team, as top-20 players Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic have taken a pass.

But that doesn't mean the outcome is a slam-dunk.

"I can understand people thinking that because Jankovic and Ivanovic aren’t there, it’s a diminished team. On paper you can’t argue that’s not the case. But when we played them the last time they didn’t have Ivanovic, they didn’t have Jankovic, and we lost," Canadian Fed Cup captain Sylvain Bruneau said Wednesday during a press conference at Montreal's Uniprix Stadium, home of the Rogers Cup.

That was in 2011, when Canada was in the same spot it's in now, trying to advance from World Group II (which contains the teams ranked No. 9-16 in the world), to the more prestigious World Group I, which contains the world top eight countries.

Jovanovski defeated both Wozniak and the now-retired Rebecca Marino; the tie came down to a decisive doubles rubber, where Jovanovski and young partner Aleksandra Krunic defeated Sharon Fichman and Marie-Eve Pelletier.

The squads for both teams were officially announced Wednesday, with Bouchard and the veteran Wozniak leading the Canadian contingent. Also nominated are Fichman and Gabriela Dabrowski, both good singles players who have had their best success in doubles (both are currently in the top 65 in the world).

Here's Wozniak's take on the upcoming tie.

For Serbia, the team will be made up of Jovanovski (currently ranked No. 41), Vesna Dolonc (formerly Manasieva; the 24-year-old Russian ranked No. 117 married a Serb), and a pair of 20-year-olds, Krunic and Jovana Jaksic.

"Bojana Jovanovski played against Eugenie last summer, on grass right before

Wimbledon, and beat her. She played Aleks (Wozniak) in the past and her. So, to me, it’s definitely not in the bag." Bruneau said. "Their No. 2 player can play, too. Of course, it’s a weaker team, but it’s still very competitive."

Bouchard is getting a lot of attention these days – it certainly seemed as though just about every question at Wednesday's press conference came back around to her. But Fed Cup has always been a true team event; one player can, theoretically, win three matches and clinch the tie. But one of those would be the doubles, and she still needs a partner.

This squad appears to have the right mix of everything.

Bouchard is a strong No. 1. The No. 2 singles spot is up for grabs between Wozniak – who has played so little in the last 1 1/2 years as she returns from a shoulder injury – and Fichman, who is a better player on a clay court than she is on an indoor hard court, which will be the surface in Montreal. But she's also on the rise these days, having

bagged her first career WTA Tour title, in doubles, at the season-opening tournament in Auckland, New Zealand.

Canada also now boasts two solid doubles players who play well together in Fichman and Dabrowski, a 21-year-old from the Ottawa area.

The decision on the No. 2 singles player appears to be one that will come down to the wire, as Bruneau analyzes how the candidates fare during the training days, which begin late Sunday afternoon.