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Canadian tennis news and notes: Filip Peliwo shows off his dance moves

Ben Kashin

It's been an eventful few days for Canadian tennis. So, without further ado (or any), let's break down the goings-on.

If you haven't heard already, Canada will remain in the Davis Cup World Group through 2013 with a convincing win over South Africa. Other than Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil's doubles loss to Raven Klaasen and Izak Van der Merwe, the weekend couldn't have gone any better for the red and white.

The Canadian team even had time to welcome a new player into its ranks. Junior Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion Filip Peliwo was on hand in Montreal to cheer on his compatriots and even though he's yet to officially join Canada's Davis Cup team, that didn't stop Milos Raonic and the boys from having a little fun with the 18-year-old. Peliwo was put through an awkward initiation on centre court at Uniprix Stadium. Check out the video:

Good for Peliwo for taking it like a champ. Luckily, he's much better on the court with a racket in hand. It's just too bad there weren't more people in the crowd to witness his moves.

In other news, it looks Nestor will have a new doubles partner on the ATP Tour come next season. Tom Tebbutt, Canada's foremost tennis scribe, announced on his blog that Nestor will be parting ways with Max Mirnyi after a very successful two year run which saw the duo win a pair of Grand Slam titles. Despite just turning 40, Nestor is looking forward to a busy schedule in 2013 and is unconvinced that his current partner will be able to keep up due to a lingering injury. Instead, Nestor has chosen to form an alliance with Mahesh Bhupathi of India:

"Max isn't confirmed to play a full season next year, he's a little bit skeptical about his elbow," Nestor explained about his Belarussian partner. "It's a little bit hard for me to wait until the last second to see what he's going to do. So I just decided to switch [...]

"[Bupathi's] eager and I've had a lot respect for his accomplishments over the years," said Nestor, newly turned 40 and currently ranked co-No. 3, about Bhupathi. "He's a great doubles player and he has great doubles instincts. I feel that if he can make the transition well to the other side (the deuce court), we can be a very good team."

While Nestor always jumps at the opportunity to represent his country in Davis Cup action (an enthusiasm not shared by every ATP Tour player), he won't have to worry about his new partner wearing out from extra curricular matches. After a row with All India Tennis Association over Olympics doubles pairings these past Games, Bupathi is not welcome to represent his country in international competition for at least two years.

And finally, tennis fans in Montreal will have the opportunity to enjoy some high-level exhibition action like those in Toronto. After Raonic takes on the newly-retired Andy Roddick at the Air Canada Centre in downtown Toronto on November 16 in what has been dubbed "The Face-Off," he'll head to the Bell Centre for the "Montreal Rendez-Vous."

Wimbledon junior champion Eugenie Bouchard will join Raonic in Montreal on March 18. The Canadian tennis stars were on hand Monday to promote the event and posed for a photo-op with the darling of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, Joannie Rochette. Despite wearing high-heels, the 5-foot-2 figure skater was dwarfed by her tennis pals, nonetheless they are a photogenic bunch:

Filling out the card in Toronto will be a Wimbledon women's final rematch between Serena Williams and Agnieszka Radwanska. The opponents for the "Rendez-Vous" have yet to be determined.