Jesse Levine, who has been playing under the U.S. flag since he turned pro but was born in Ottawa, is attempting to change his playing allegiance to Canada, the National Post reports. The 25-year-old Levine is currently ranked No. 104 and moved to the U.S. when he was 13. He lives in Florida.
"He's been on our radar for a while," Tennis Canada's Louis-Philippe Dorais said. "But now it's pretty much for sure he'll be representing Canada from now on. As far as will he be eligible to play Davis Cup for us in February [against Spain], probably not. But for the rest, it's pretty much a formality that he'll be representing Canada from now on."
Last year, American Alex Bolgomolov Jr. switched his playing allegiance to Russia, and the USTA billed Russia $75,000. A source told TENNIS.com that Levine will be asked to repay the USTA for the direct financial aid, travel expenses, and years of coaching he received from the organization.
Levine is likely making the switch to be able to play Davis Cup, as he currently would be the country's second-ranked singles player behind world No. 13 Milos Raonic.
Because Levine is Canadian by birth, the USTA has no reason to object to the move. Levine has never been selected to play Davis Cup for the U.S. and is unlikely to be picked, as he's the nation’s seventh-ranked player.
It is up to the International Tennis Federation to rule on whether Levine will be eligible for the February tie. Davis Cup rules state that if a player is eligible to represent more than one country, the national association that wants to select him must apply to the International Tennis Federation three months before the tie and await a ruling from the Davis Cup Committee.