Davis Cup action returns this week with players competing in the Davis Cup finals group stage and Davis Cup World Group I and World Group II ties. Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Jack Draper are all playing for their countries, while Jannik Sinner is absent following his US Open win. Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming Davis Cup ties.
The Davis Cup resumes this week with Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Jack Draper among those in action.
With the Grand Slam season finished following the conclusion of the US Open, it’s now time for the final stretch of the 2024 campaign.
This week sees the Davis Cup finals group stage played across four countries, as well as Davis Cup World Group I and World Group II ties.
When are the fixtures, who is playing, and how does the format work?
WHAT’S AT STAKE THIS WEEK IN THE DAVIS CUP?
The Davis Cup finals group stage will be contested from September 10 to Sunday 15.
The group stage features 16 nations across four groups, with the groups played in Bologna, Italy (Group A), Valencia, Spain (Group B), Zhuhai, China (Group C) and Manchester, Great Britain (Group D).
The teams face each other in a round-robin format and the top two teams in each group at the end of the week qualify for the quarter-finals in November.
There are also players competing in Davis Cup World Group I and World Group II ties on either September 13-14 or 14-15.
WHO’S PLAYING IN THE DAVIS CUP?
The player list for the Davis Cup finals group stage is headlined by world No. 3 Alcaraz.
Coming off the back of his shock second-round defeat at the US Open, Alcaraz will feature for Spain as they face Czech Republic, France and Australia.
Draper will make the quick turnaround from making the US Open semi-finals to playing for Great Britain in Manchester.
Draper, who is up to No. 20 in the world rankings after reaching the last four in New York, joins Dan Evans, Neal Skupski, Billy Harris and Henry Patten in the GB team.
Great Britain face Finland on Wednesday and then Argentina on Friday and Canada on Sunday.
Speaking about the Davis Cup at the US Open, Draper said: “The Davis Cup is a huge deal to me. But I never really understood it until I actually played it for the first time. I know the schedule in tennis is full and all these types of things. I remember when we were going to Colombia, it was a bit like, ‘Should I go, should I not?’
“Obviously I went and I saw how important it is to everyone, how important it is to be there representing your country. So even though the tennis schedule is full and is relentless — and honestly I’ve barely had a day off since the start of the year — I want to be there, I want to be competing, and I want to be playing for my country.”
Canada’s team includes Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov, while Francisco Cerundolo, Sebastian Baez and Tomas Martin Etcheverry are playing for Argentina.
US Open champion Jannik Sinner will not feature for Italy as they look to continue the defence of their title.
Italy’s team will be made up of Matteo Berrettini, Matteo Arnaldi, Flavio Cobolli, Andrea Vavassori and Simone Bolelli.
New world No. 2 Alexander Zverev will not play for Germany in China.
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DJOKOVIC TO PLAY FOR SERBIA
Djokovic will be in Davis Cup action this week as he looks to secure Serbia’s place in the 2025 qualifiers.
The 37-year-old, who was beaten in the third round of the US Open, will be playing for his country in their World Group I tie against Greece, who are without Stefanos Tsitsipas, in Belgrade.
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If Serbia win, they will secure a spot in the Davis Cup 2025 qualifiers, while if they lose they will face the World Group I play-offs in 2025.
Casper Ruud will feature for Norway in their World Group I home tie against Portugal.
DAVIS CUP GROUPS
GROUP A (Bologna, Italy)
- Italy
- Netherlands
- Belgium
- Brazil
GROUP B (Valencia, Spain)
- Australia
- Czech Republic
- France
- Spain
GROUP C (Zhuahi, China)
- Germany
- USA
- Slovakia
- Chile
GROUP D (Manchester, Great Britain)
- Canada
- Finland
- Great Britain
- Argentina
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WHAT’S THE FORMAT FOR DAVIS CUP TIES?
The Davis Cup ties are best-of-three rubbers and are played on one day. Each match are best-of-three tie-break sets.There are two singles matches followed by a doubles match.