Davis Cup seeks a new champion

The most open Davis Cup, without a clear favorite, with prominent figures and also significant casualties, bursts back into the calendar after the stoppage caused by the pandemic, with public again in the stands of Madrid, the epicenter of the competition, and Turin , one of the sub-offices, but without spectators in the other, in Innsbruck, again subdued by the growth of the covid in Austria.

The most important team tournament reaches its 109th edition, the second with the innovative format that began to function in 2019, concentrated in a final phase and also Madrid as the main stage and that two seasons ago crowned Spain as champion, with Rafael Nadal as leader, now one of the most illustrious absentees.

The tournament that starts this Thursday and will have its final on Sunday, December 5, will feature three of the top ten players. Serbian Novak Djokovic, number one, and Russians Daniil Medvedev, second, and Andrey Rublev, fifth, will be present at least in the first stage. Canadian Felix Auger Aliassime, tenth, like his teammate Denis Shapovalov and Italian Matteo Berrettini, seventh, confirmed by their teams initially, crashed at the last minute due to injury. However, his compatriot Jannik Sinner, eleventh in the world, Britain’s Cameron Norrie, twelfth, Russian Aslan Karatsev, seventeenth, and Spaniard Pablo Carreño, twentieth, also raise the expectations of the event.

The fight for the crown that Spain made its own two years ago has 18 suitors, divided into six groups of three in a first phase, and a distributed favoritism. Serbia has the world number one, damaged by the defeat suffered on the doorstep of the fight for the title in the ATP Finals. Enough to consider his team as a candidate the same as Russia, with a strong background that includes Medvedev, Rublev, Karen Khachanov and Aslan Karatsev. Italy, somewhat weakened now by the loss of Berrettini, or even France and the United States, have balanced sets, which also places them as candidates.

The Spanish team is waiting. The loss of Rafa Nadal and that of Roberto Bautista at the last minute, conditions the margin of maneuver of the current champion, now driven by the Carlos Alcaraz effect, one of the great revelations of the season, included in the Sergi Bruguera quintet. Fresh air for Spain the presence of the young tennis player who makes his debut with the national team. From the outset, the Navy meets Ecuador and Russia in the group stage, possibly the most powerful team in this final phase.

Only the first of the six groups is guaranteed a pass to the quarter-finals, which are completed with the best two seconds, so the margin of error for the teams is reduced in duels that are resolved with two individual matches and one doubles match. , in matches played to the best of three sets.

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Madrid brings together Groups A, in which Spain is with Russia and Ecuador and Group B in which Canada, runner-up in the previous edition, was weakened by the absences of Aliassime and Shapovalov. The North American team is now in the hands of Vasek Pospisil, Brayden Schnur, Peter Polansky and Steven Diez. Kazakhstan and Sweden complete the list. The panorama remains open.

Orphaned by the public will be the Olympiaworld in Innsbruck, where C and F will play. The increase in covid infections in Austria and the general confinement determined by the country’s government have caused the competition to be behind closed doors in this place. In these conditions France will play, which has a balanced block with Ugo Humbert, Arthur Rinderknech and veteran Richard Gasquet and a consolidated doubles with Pierre Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut. The Gauls will face Great Britain, led by Cameron Norrie and without Andy or Jamie Murray, and the Czech Republic, where Jiri Vesely stands out.

The Austrian fan will be left without seeing one of the great attractions of the Davis Cup and the main attraction of the Austrian headquarters: the presence of Djokovic. The world number one will be assisted by Filip Krajinovic, Dusan Lajovic, Laslo Djere and Miomir Kecmanovic for the Group F appointments against the Germany of Jan Lennard Struff and the local team, Austria, weakened by the loss of Dominik Thiem, injured in the wrist.

Turin completes the list of stages of the Davis Cup 2021 The Pala Alpitour Arena brings together Group D and E, where Marin Cilic and Borna Coric’s Croatia, Australia with Alex de Miñaur and John Millman and Hungary, with Marton Fucsovics coincide .

In the E, Italy, despite the loss at the last moment of its main argument, Matteo Berrettini, is the rival to beat. Jannik Sinner will act as leader with the help of Lorenzo Sonego, veteran Fabio Fognini and Lorenzo Musetti. The United States, based on the might of bombers John Isner and Reilly Opelka, albeit without Taylor Fritz, is an alternative. Colombia, led by Daniel Elahi Galán, Nicolás Mejía and doubles players Juan Sebastián Cabal and Robert Farah complete the group.

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