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 be

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