London 2012 Olympics: Daniel Nestor to lead Canada on the court

With eight Canadian men having competed in various draws at the 2012 French Open, it's safe to say that men's tennis in Canada is stronger than it's been in a long time — maybe ever. Filip Peliwo is having a breakout season after reaching the finals of both the Junior Australian Open and Junior French Open. Milos Raonic, the reigning ATP newcomer of the year, is ranked No. 21 in the world and owns of one of the deadliest serves on the tour. And then there's Daniel Nestor, the top-ranked men's doubles player and the most decorated Canadian tennis player of all-time.

Nestor, along with partner Vasek Pospisil, is set to represent Canada at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He'll be looking for his second Olympic gold medal after owning the podium in 2000 while partnering with Sebastian Lareau. While he knows he'll be joining forces with Pospisil in London, it's still undecided who his partner will be in September when Canada hosts South Africa in their Davis Cup World Group playoff tie in Montreal.

Martin Laurendeau, the non-playing captain of Canada's Davis Cup team, knows that being paired with Nestor means a tremendous amount of added pressure. Laurendeau calls it a "lose-lose situation" — if you win it's because of Nestor, and if you lose you're to blame — adding "that's what makes the Davis Cup fantastic… That's the beauty of it." The same goes for the Olympics, but at least Pospisil can prepare himself well in advance for the scrutiny.

[Slideshow: Nestor and Mirnyi win French doubles]

According to Laurendeau, Canada is garnering more respect in the global tennis community.

That combination of youth and experience will be on full display in London with the elder statesman Nestor, 39, and the newcomer Pospisil, 21. The Men's Doubles Tennis event begins July 28 with the final taking place Aug. 4 with all matches to be played on the grass courts of Wimbledon.