体坛英语新闻：Feature: Italy not looking ahead of Canada in Davis Cup tie

VANCOUVER, April 2 (Xinhua)-- A relaxed yet confident Italian team is seeking to advance to its first Davis Cup semi-final since 1998 but it is isn't looking past upstart Canada, which it will meet in a quarter-final tie starting Friday in the British Columbia city.

"Canada is a very good team. (Milos) Raonic is an improved player. I think that he can play always better so he is really good. Canada is a very good team, so I think it is normal that they make the quarter-final," Italian captain Corrado Barazzuti told the media Tuesday at the University of British Columbia campus.

"It's true that they play against Spain without maybe their best player, but Canada is a really good team, they can make all the matches much better."

The 60-year-old Barazzuti knows what it takes to win as he played on the 1976 Italian team that won the country's only Davis Cup when it beat Chile. Over the years Italy, currently ranked ninth in the world, has lost six Davis Cup finals, but this year it goes into the quarter-finals with a strong team that got by Croatia 3-2 in early February.

The Italian arsenal includes world No. 20 singles player Andreas Seppi, Fabio Fognini (33), Paolo Lorenzi (40), Simone Bolelli (86) and Daniele Bracciali, currently ranked 25th in doubles.

Seppi, who won twice on the ATP Tour in 2012 and got to the fourth round of this year's Australian Open, felt he was at the top of his game. Both his victories in Germany and Italy came on hard courts, the same surface at the UBC Thunderbird Sports Center.

"For sure, I have a little bit more experience than before. I played a lot of tough matches, feeling better on the court, and changed a little bit also preparation," said the 29-year-old Seppi who went 1-1 in the Croatia tie.

"So I think maybe these are the two important things, a little bit more experience, moving better on the court."

Experience is what it's all about for No. 8 ranked Canada as the team is in the quarter-finals for the first time after advancing following a 3-2 upset of No. 1 ranked Spain, a team that was missing superstar Rafael Nadal and world No. 4 David Ferrer.

Canada captain Martin Laurendeau will field the same team that beat the Spaniards in world No. 15 singles player Raonic, 40-year-old doubles specialist Daniel Nestor, Frank Dancevic and Vasek Pospil.

"They're fairly comparable lineups. They have a player in the top 20, they have a really good doubles team and they have good depth. Obviously they can play on hard courts, they've shown that before," said Laurendeau, noting his team had come through many difficult situations to get to this position.

Canada will rely heavily on Raonic, the top-ranked player in the field who pulled out of last week's Sony Open in Miami citing strep throat.

The big-serving 196-cm Ontario native is 3-0 on the medium-fast surface at UBC dating back to last year's Davis Cup tie when France beat Canada. This year, Raonic won his third straight title in San Jose and made it to the fourth round of the Australian Open before getting bounced by Roger Federer.

"Everything is going well. I've had an opportunity in some tournaments. I've played well in some tournaments. I think I'm just getting better. I enjoy playing under these circumstances with the environment as well as it being a Davis Cup tie so I look forward to it," Raonic said.

The 22-year-old added advancing to the Davis Cup quarter-finals was "up there" among his tennis accomplishments.

"It's definitely up there. I wish to keep putting myself in more important positions in Grand Slams and so forth, and there has obviously been a few. But I think this has got to be close to up there with the Olympic experience."

Injuries will likely play a factor in the captains' selection as Nestor is sporting a calf strain and Bolelli retired during last week's Sony Open with an injured wrist in his singles match against Grigor Dimitrov.

"My wrist at the moment is getting better, so I try to practise it," said Bolelli, who won a doubles title with Fognini in Argentina in February.

"I try to play and my condition (is) better day by day, so I just wait until Thursday or Friday to see if I'm able to play or not. Today, for now, my wrist is getting better, so I'm confident and we'll see."