Prince Filip: Peliwo Arrives in a Gilded Age of Canadian Tennis
Steve Fogleman, Tennis East Coast
“I’m moving out to Barcelona after Champaign.”
Wouldn’t we all like to jet off to Barca after a little bubbly?
That’s what Filip Peliwo is up to these days.
“I’ve never been to Spain, first of all, in my life”, he continues.
It’s a gilded age for Canadian Tennis, and Filip Peliwo is its Crown Prince. Peliwo is a two-time Grand Slam champion, and at 19, he’s just made a huge coaching change, upgrading to the man that brought Milos Raonic from the top 200 to the top 20.
He spoke with me on Monday at the Charlottesville Challenger in Charlottesville, Virginia. After deciding that asking for a five-year prediction is a tough question, he responded by saying he sees himself in the top 20.
Peliwo points to Davis Cup success as a benchmark for Canadian Tennis.
“Canada is becoming a lot more respected in tennis. We’ve got quite a few good players out there like Vasek and Milos. I think it’s just gonna get better from here on. I don’t see why it wouldn’t and I’m going to do my best to keep it going.”
On the joinder of Coach Blanco, Peliwo is clearly ecstatic.
“To be able to work with Galo, it’s amazing. I’ve always thought he was an amazing coach. I really respected him. I thought even when he gave me some tips when he was hitting with Milos, he helped me out really well. I think the chemistry’s good and I’m excited about it.”
Peliwo opens with Bjorn Fratangelo tomorrow at the Charlottesville Challenger tomorrow.
Fratangelo better take advantage that Peliwo hasn’t headed to Barca just yet.
Tennis Atlantic 