Frank Dancevic - Getty Images

To Be Perfectly Frank

July 20, 2008

For all of the natural talent that Frank Dancevic (Niagara Falls, Ontario) possesses, it is the tenacity and hunger of the 23-year-old that has enabled him to become a force in the tennis world.

It is those qualities which allow a gifted player to shine on tennis’ biggest stages. That was certainly the case earlier this year, when Canada’s best singles player stunned No. 7 seed David Nalbandian (Argentina) in the first round of Wimbledon.

The win over Nalbandian was merely the latest in a string of strong results for the six-foot-one right-hander against the world’s best. He has quickly developed a reputation as a player that few want to encounter early in a tournament, defeating the likes of Andy Roddick (United States) and Fernando Verdasco (Spain) in the past year.

Dancevic has also displayed the capacity to prolong his stretches of solid play and put together impressive runs, including a title win at this year’s Surbiton Challenger and an appearance in the final of the 2007 Indianapolis event (before losing to Dmitry Tursunov).

Perhaps his greatest career achievement to date came at last year’s Rogers Cup, wherein he reached his first Masters Series quarter-final on the strength of wins over Verdasco, Juan Martin Del Potro (Argentina), and Wayne Odesnik (United States). Dancevic even made a strong impression in defeat, taking world No. 2 Rafael Nadal to the three-set limit before falling.

The youngster, who has developed a considerable fan following for his eye-catching floppy hairstyle and demonstrative on-court persona, has enthusiastically represented his country internationally in Davis Cup play. Prior to an injury that prevented him from joining the team in 2008, he had proudly competed in each tie dating back to 2002, when he first joined the team.

Dancevic will now set out to build on his Rogers Cup success from a year ago as he returns to his home province. He will be in tough, though, with a first round encounter against Mario Ancic (Croatia) and a potential second round duel with world No. 3 and defending champion Novak Djokovic (Serbia).