The Davis Cup is set to start on 18th November all the way to 24th November in Madrid. The tournament is set to attract several nations such as defending champion Croatia, Russia, Serbia, Spain, USA, Britain among other competing nations. In total, 18 countries will be gracing the Davis Cup tournament.
Stiff competition awaits
The competition in Davis Cup is expected to be so high because top players such as Daniil Medvedev, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, and Novak Djokovic are all going to feature in it.
Andy Murray will be leading the British team, which will face Kazakhstan and the Netherlands. The former Wimbledon champion will be hoping to lead his country to success after himself winning a tournament last Sunday. Andy Murray won that title after making a return from hip surgery. Besides, this will be the first time he will appear in this tournament since 2016.
There is a possibility for Daniil Medvedev and Rafael Nadal to face each other again (Group B), hence fans will have a chance to see a repeat of the most recent U.S Open final. The two have been selected to represent Russia and Spain, respectively. They will be joined in the group by Croatia, last year’s champions.
Novak Djokovic has been selected to be part of the Serbia team, which will be facing Japan and France. Serbia’s top man will be expected to lead his nation to the Davis Cup glory. On the other hand, after the refusal of Zverev to play, Germany will be led by Jan-Lennard Stuff whereas the US team will be led by Taylor Fritz, Jack Sock, Francis Tiafoe, Sam Querrey and Reilly Opelka. The Americans will compete against the likes of Italy and Canada during the group stages.
Top players missing from Davis Cup
Roger Federer, Alexander Zverev and Kei Nishikori are set to miss the Davis Cup Tournament. Nishikori sustained an arm injury during the US open hence he will not feature in the upcoming tournament as he will have a minor procedure. On the other hand, Alexander Zverev and Roger Federer have chosen to participate in several exhibition matches in South America and Mexico instead.
Davis Cup groups
Group A
France, Japan, Serbia
Group B
Croatia, Russia, Spain
Group C
Argentina, Chile, Germany
Group D
Australia, Belgium, Columbia
Group E
Great Britain, Kazakhstan, Netherlands
Group F
Canada, Italy, United States
Rafael Nadal’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.2, Rafael played his last match on the 8th of September when he defeated Daniil Medvedev 7-5 6-3 5-7 4-6 6-4 in the final in U.S. Open to win his 84th career title.
This year Nadal has a 47-6 win-loss record. The Spaniard clinched 4 titles in 2019 in Rome, at the French Open, in Montreal and at the U.S. Open. The Spaniard was the finalist at the Australian Open.
Novak Djokovic’s ranking and performance in 2019
Now ranked no.1, the Serbian played his last match on the 11th of October when he surrendered to Stefanos Tsitsipas 3-6 7-5 6-3 in the quarter in Shanghai.
This year Djokovic has a 48-9 win-loss record. The Serbian clinched 4 titles in 2019 at the Australian Open, in Madrid, in Wimbledon and in Tokyo. Djokovic was the finalist in Rome.
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic played each other 54 times. The head to head is 28-26 for Djokovic.
The last time that they squared off, Rafael Nadal won 6-0 4-6 6-1 in the final in Rome in 19th May 2019.
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic |
| Embed from Getty Images |
