Carlos Alcaraz leads Spain to Davis Cup Group Stage | ATP Tour

Davis Cup group stage

Can Alcaraz bounce back to lead Spain’s Davis Cup?

16 countries compete in four groups as the Finals begin this week

September 09, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz will look to channel his home support this week as he looks for a quick response to his US Open disappointment at the Davis Cup Finals Group Stage.

No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings, who was upset by Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round in New York, will lead the six-time champion Spain’s Group B campaign in Valencia. Alcaraz will be representing his country in the ‘World Cup of Tennis’ for the first time since 2022.

Joining Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion in representing their country in Group B are world number 11 Alex de Minaur (Australia), world number 18 Ugo Humbert (France) and Jiri Lehecka ( Czechia) number 37. All four countries competing at the Pabellon Fuente de San Luis are former Davis Cup champions.

Alex de Minaur”.
_{^{Australia’s Alex de Minaur participating in the 2023 Davis Cup final. (Photo credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for ITF)}}

A host of ATP Tour stars will also be in Bologna, Manchester and Zhuhai as the group stage runs from 10-15 September. The winners and runners-up of each group will advance to the Davis Cup Finals Knockout Stage, which will be held in Malaga from 19-24 November, where the 2024 Davis Cup champions will be selected.

Like Alcaraz’s Spain, Italy will compete on home soil. The defending champions will rely on their strength in depth in Bologna as they look to return to the knockout stages. The top two Italians in the PIF ATP Rankings, Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti, are both unavailable, but captain Filippo Volandri still has three Top 50 singles players to choose from in Flavio Cobolli, Matteo Arnaldi and Matteo Berrettini .

Italy’s opponents in Group A are Belgium, Brazil and the Netherlands who are all chasing their first Davis Cup title.

Having reached his first Grand Slam semi-final in New York last week, Jack Draper will be brimming with confidence as he leads Great Britain’s Group D campaign in Manchester. The 22-year-old, who is the new hope of men’s tennis in his country after the recent retirement of Andy Murray, joins Davis Cup legend Daniel Evans and two-time Wimbledon champion Henry Patten in the host country’s list.

Argentina’s team that includes top 35 singles stars Sebastian Baez, Francisco Cerundolo and Tomas Martin Etcheverry will provide tough competition for Draper and his teammates, as will Canada in 2022, led by Felix Auger-Aliassime. Finland, who recorded their best Davis Cup result by reaching the semi-finals in 2023, complete the Group D arrangement.

History will be made when Group C action begins in Zhuhai. The first Davis Cup final event to be held in China will include Chile, Germany, Slovakia and the USA fighting for two spots in the knockout stage.

Brandon Nakashima has been named in the Davis Cup starting line-up for the USA, a reward for his strong form which has seen him reach number 40 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Mackenzie McDonald and Reilly Opelka are also singles picks for a record 32-time Davis Cup champion, with Paris Olympics silver medalists Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram powering the doubles field.