Canada shoots for 1st-ever Billie Jean King Cup title at finals in Spain

One year after Canada's men snapped a lengthy tennis drought, the women have an opportunity to follow suit.

Canada has never so much as reached the final at the Billie Jean King Cup, the international women's tennis tournament that launched as the Fed Cup in 1963.

But with a strong roster featuring 2021 U.S. Open finalist Leylah Fernandez, reigning U.S. Open women's doubles champion Gabriela Dabrowski along with some veteran support, that drought could be over by Sunday.

"We totally deserve to be there and we're competing with the best teams, but I am very, very confident that my girls are going to perform well and give it their all," team captain Heidi El Tabakh told CBC Sports.

The Canadian men's team won the Davis Cup for the first time in 109 years last season, riding a miraculous run that began with them not even in the field for the finals and ended with a trophy celebration in Spain.

Perhaps the location can provide inspiration, as Canada's women will begin competition in Seville with round-robin ties against the host nation on Tuesday and Poland on Wednesday. Live coverage begins both days at 10 a.m. ET on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem.

El Tabakh said her squad can take inspiration from the men.

"Yeah, absolutely. I think that we definitely can learn a lot and they've had an incredible run at Davis. Going to win the Davis [Cup] is huge. So that's definitely a goal of ours," she said.

Joining Fernandez and Dabrowski in Spain are Rebecca Marino, Eugenie Bouchard and Marina Stakusic. It's Bouchard's first time representing Canada since 2018.

Though it hasn't been the greatest season for any of the group individually, some have come on strongly lately.

Dabrowski, along with partner Erin Routliffe, won