Protests outside, silence inside as Canada faces Israel in an empty arena

Protesters turned out in Halifax as Canada and Israel faced off at the Davis Cup on Friday.

HALIFAX — It was a surreal scene in Halifax on Friday as Canada kicked off its Davis Cup tennis tie against Israel behind closed doors at Scotiabank Centre in Halifax.

Save for athletes and staff of the two teams and the necessary officials, who were either on the court or courtside, the venue that normally holds over 10,500 spectators was completely empty.

The squeak of tennis shoes, the hand slaps between teammates and other sounds normally masked by ambient chatter were heard clear as day on the CBC’s webcast, which had no commentary.

Tennis Canada made the call earlier this week to hold the matches without spectators or media present, citing safety concerns it said were flagged by local authorities and security agencies.

Meanwhile, about 400 protesters gathered for a brief rally beside Citadel Hill National Historic site, where organizer Em Bailey said almost 1,000 people had signed a petition opposing Israel’s participation in the games.

“We stand firmly demanding that the Davis Cup games between Team Canada and Team Israel be cancelled,” said Bailey, a member of Palestine Solidarity Halifax. “And that team Israel is suspended from the Davis Cup. We refuse to accept anti-Palestinian racism.”

The protesters then marched peacefully through the port city’s downtown and stopped in front of Scotiabank Centre.

Under bright sunshine, many of the demonstrators were carrying placards and Palestinian flags while chanting slogans and beating drums amid snarled traffic and police officers on bicycles.

One man wrapped in a Palestinian flag waved a tennis racket that held a piece of paper with “No Sportswashing Israel” written on it.

And at the front of the long line of marchers, several protesters held a large banner with the message “Don’t Play Ball” written in huge letters.

The protest wrapped up with speeches outside nearby Halifax City Hall. More protests were planned for Saturday.

While there was plenty of activity outside, one could hear a pin drop inside Scotiabank Centre as Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo opened the tie with a 6-1, 6-2 dismantling of Israel’s Daniel Cukierman.

When the six-foot-eight Diallo jumped up and smashed a forehand winner to take a 4-2 second-set lead, a shot that normally would have lifted fans out of their seats was met with a smattering of polite applause.

The atmosphere stood in stark contrast to the recent U.S. Open in New York, where the Canadian players enjoyed robust support from a partisan crowd.

Still, Diallo said in a press conference Thursday that he would be able to adjust to the conditions, and on Friday, he just did that. He needed just 28 minutes to take the first set, and after Cukierman was more competitive to start the second before taking a medical timeout, Diallo won four straight games to take the opening match and give Canada a 1-0 lead.

Liam Draxl of Newmarket, Ont., put Canada up 2-0 when he beat Orel Kimhi 7-6 (5), 6-4 to win his first Davis Cup singles match.

Three matches are set for Saturday in the best-of-five tie, with Draxl and Calgary’s Cleeve Harper facing Jordan Hasson and Ofek Shimanov in a doubles match before Diallo faces Kimhi and Draxl takes on Cuikerman.

The winner will advance to the 2026 Davis Cup Qualifiers.

With files from Michael MacDonald in Halifax.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2025.