Great Britain drawn against Canada in the first round of the 2017 Davis Cup

Great Britain have been drawn against to Canada in the first round of the 2017 Davis Cup. The team recently lost their crown after being beaten 3-2 by Argentina in a tension-filled tie in Glasgow, but are poised to begin their efforts to regain the coveted title by travelling to North America early next year.

Britain were the third-seeded team in the draw, which was staged in London this afternoon (22 September), while Canada were one of the unseeded sides among the World Group nations. The three-day fixture will begin on 3 February and could feature a meeting between Olympic gold medal-winning star Andy Murray and Canada's world number six Milos Raonic.

Confirmation of the draw comes shortly after the International Tennis Federation (ITF) revealed its ambition to revamp the historic tournament. Under changes proposed by the Federation, cities could soon bid to stage the final of the event. It has been suggested, too, that Davis Cup finals matches should be shortened to best of three sets.

David Haggerty, the ITF president, recently explained that the proposals were designed to extend tennis' reach. "This is part of our mission to make the appeal of tennis broad and wide," he said, according to the BBC.

Britain ended their 79-year wait for the trophy by defeating Belgium in 2015, but were unsuccessful in their efforts to claim back-to-back titles. The winner of the meeting between Britain and Canada will progress into the quarter-finals of the tournament in 2017.