PHILIP Bester's gutsy effort at a hostile Davis Cup tennis tie in Ecuador last summer helped Canada move up to the top-flight World Group for 2012 but it looks like the North Vancouver native won't get to enjoy the big payoff from that win.
Canada will host France Feb. 10-12 at the University of British Columbia but Bester told the North Shore News Monday he will not be able to participate as he continues deal with painful bone spurs in his left ankle.
"It doesn't look realistic at this point," he said. "I basically just started slowly training today and based on how long it's going to take me to get back I probably won't be ready to play the Davis Cup tie."
It's a big blow for the 23year-old who was hoping to thrive on national pride in front of his hometown fans at the first Vancouver-hosted Davis Cup tie in the past 20 years.
"I have to say that obviously I'm extremely disappointed," said Bester. "It was something that I was really looking forward to as soon as word got out that Vancouver was a contender for hosting the Davis Cup tie."
Bester clinched a 3-2 win for Canada over Ecuador last summer with a singles win in the fifth and final match. He played the tie with excruciating pain in his right hand that was diagnosed as a stress fracture shortly after the event.
"When I woke up (the day before the match) I could barely hold my toothbrush," he said. "I definitely played through some pain but the adrenaline really kicked in that I'm playing for Canada and the team was relying on me. I didn't want to let me team down, I didn't want to let Canada down."
The stress fracture forced Bester to miss the 2011 Odlum Brown Van Open at Hollyburn Country Club as well as Canada's final 2011 Davis Cup tie against Israel. Thanks to some heroics from Vancouver's Vasek Pospisil Canada defeated Israel to set up next month's showdown with France.
Bester's hand was healed by mid-October but as he ramped up his training his ankle began to hurt and in November he had to shut himself down again to let
it heal. Monday was his first time back on the court and he was limited to standstill drills lasting just 15 minutes.
His spot on the Davis Cup team wasn't a lock - Milos Raonic is healthy and playing great and Pospisil looks like the No. 2 singles player - but if healthy Bester would have been in the mix. Now he'll just have to watch from the sidelines knowing that he played a part in making it happen.
"I'm proud to have contributed to the team getting this far," he said. "It's a great feeling to have been a part of it. I'm really looking forward to seeing the team play against France and I know that we're really going to fight hard and hopefully try to come out with an upset."
Bester doesn't have a return date picked yet but he's hoping to be back playing by the end of February. He's not going to rush anything, he said.
"As much as I'd just like to wake up and be able to fly to my first tournament, it's going to take a lot of hours on the court and in the gym to really get ready. And that's the only way that I want to come back - I don't want to come back at 80 per cent, 90 per cent. I really want to be 100 per cent fit, 100 per cent strong so that when I come back it will be an easier transition for me than coming back and trying to kind of go through the motions and find myself."
He's definitely hoping to be in top form by the time the 2012 Van Open kicks off in early August, he said.
"I was disappointed not to be able to play in the event last year. Every time the tournament rolls around obviously I get very excited for it. I'm hoping to have a good buildup to that event and be able to get into some good tournaments, get some good confidence going."
