Milos Raonic of Canada plays a backhand in his Wimbledon match against Nick Kyrgios earlier this month.Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Canada's Davis Cup tennis team will be without its top-ranked player when it faces Belgium in quarter-final action next week.
Tennis Canada said in a release Tuesday that world No. 8 Milos Raonic will miss the quarter-final tie due to lingering effects from foot surgery he had before the French Open.
"I'm devastated not to be participating in this tie against Belgium," Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., said in the release. "Due to my recurring injury, I am not able to play tennis for the next few weeks. My goal right now is to get healthy as fast as possible and get back to playing tennis as soon as I can.
"I have been with this team awhile and we have come a long way together. I know that they can win this tie and get us back into the semifinals."
Raonic was eliminated in the third round at Wimbledon by Australia's Nick Kyrgios.
Canada will have Vancouver's Vasek Pospisil available for the best-of-five series, which is being held on a clay court in Ostend, Belgium from July 17-19.
Pospisil is currently playing well at Wimbledon, where he has advanced to the quarter-finals.
Davis Cup veteran Frank Dancevic of Niagara Falls, Ont., doubles ace Daniel Nestor of Toronto and Vancouver's Filip Peliwo, who will make his Davis Cup debut, were also named to the squad by captain Martin Laurendeau.
Toronto's Adil Shamasdin was named to the team as an alternate.
Belgium is led by world No. 15 David Goffin, who will be joined by Steve Darcis, Ruben Bemelmans and Kimmer Coppejans.
Canada defeated Japan 3-2 in Vancouver in March to set up the quarter-final with Belgium.