AFTER previewing each of the 18 Davis Cup Finals nations, Rookie Me Central will now preview each of the six groups to determine how the early stages of the tournament might go. We begin taking a look at Group A, with two title contenders featuring alongside the rank underdog for the tournament.
>> SPAIN DAVIS CUP PREVIEW
>> RUSSIA DAVIS CUP PREVIEW
>> ECUADOR DAVIS CUP PREVIEW
GROUP A
Group A has two nations that could go all the way, which is why the November 28 clash between Spain and Russia is so crucial. Whilst Ecuador holds little hope of winning a match, let alone a tie, the two stacked nations will provide a classic contest. Spain is the reigning champion, and even without star Rafael Nadal, still has a team that could do a lot of damage. Bautista Agut and Carreno Busta are both consistent Top 20 players who can surprise on their day if the opponent is down on form, whilst Alcaraz is the danger man who could do just about anything. From a doubles perspective, Lopez and especially Granollers could be a crucial combination, more favoured than the others.
Russia has fully stacked its line-up with its mind focused on the prize. World number two and US Open winner Medvedev leads a side with the quartet of Top 30 Russians who have been revelations in the last couple of years. Whilst Khachanov has slid a little, Karatsev has had a 2021 to remember after an Australian Open semi-final, whilst Rublev went from very good to great with his outstanding form at ATP 500 and above level in the past 12 months. Donskoy is the only pure doubles player similar to Granollers, which makes it even with Spain, but should provide an even contest.
Ecuador is not punching in even close to the same weight division as these two heavyweights. The 148th ranked Gomez and 290th ranked Quiroz will be taking on players who are Grand Slam title standard. Couple with Escobar (39th) being the only real doubles talent of note, and it is unlikely the South American nation will cause too many headaches for the opposition. As the lowest ranked nation at the event, it is hoped March might get a gig, with the 21-year-old talent one for the future.
PREDICTION:
1st Russia
2nd Spain (additional qualifier)
3rd Ecuador
Australia cops Davis Cup ‘Group of Death’
AUSTRALIA will need to be at its very best in the 2024 Davis Cup Finals to survive the group stage and reach back-to-back finals at the event. After coming runners-up to Italy last year, the Aussies will head to Valencia, Spain where they take the host nation as well as Czech Republic and France. The […]
Argentina survives mega Kazakhstan upset
ARGENTINA came back from the jaws of defeat to seal an incredible victory over a determined Kazakhstan and stamp its ticket into the Davis Cup Finals. The South American nation was playing at home on clay with three top 30 players compared to their opponents missing their top star Alexander Bublik, but it still went […]
Thiem overcomes raucous Irish crowd as Austria takes lead
IT was an atmosphere that Grand Slam champion Dominic Thiem was seldom used to, as he and his Austrian team faced off against surprise packets Ireland in Limerick for the Davis Cup World Group Qualifiers. The former world number three faced off against Irish world number 935 Michael Agwi in a thrilling contest, bouncing back […]
USA bound for Davis Cup finals
BECOMING the first nation to join Italy, Australia, Spain and Great Britain at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals, the United States made light work of Ukraine in a 4-0 whitewash. The nation’s met in Lithuania after Ukraine drew the homecourt advantage, but it did not stop the victors taking home the win without dropping a […]
PREVIEW | 2024 Davis Cup Qualifiers
HALF of the 24 nations doing battle in the 2024 Davis Cup Qualifiers this weekend will secure their spots in the Davis Cup Finals later this year. Four nations have already acquired safe passage into the 16-team finals series, with the remaining 12 to come from the winning nations of the qualifiers. We preview this […]
Italy secures second Davis Cup title
FOR the second successive year, Australia had to settle for runners-up as a powerful Italian unit continued its outstanding 2023 Davis Cup run to lift just its second men’s team trophy in history. Led by top five young gun Jannik Sinner – fresh off back-to-back victories against Novak Djokovic in singles and doubles last match […]
Aussies alive and into Davis Cup final four
AUSTRALIA’S hopes of a 29th Davis Cup title – and its first in two decades – remains alive after reaching the semi-finals of the knockout stage. The green and gold scraped into second of their round robin group stage to qualify for the eight-team finals series, then upstage Czech Republic in a come-from-behind victory. Despite […]
2023 Davis Cup Final 8 draw decided
EIGHT teams remain in the 2023 Davis Cup hunt following the group stage of the Finals that occurred over the weekend. Following the qualification from that, the eight sides who made it through – the top two from each pool – now know their respective roads to the ultimate nation glory. World numbers ones Canada […]
Finland survives Davis Cup ‘Group of Death’ as Aussies advance
IN one of the most incredible stories, heavy underdog Finland secured its place in the 2023 Davis Cup Finals after surviving what was predicted to be a ‘Group of Death’ for the nation Coming up against Croatia, United States and Netherlands who are all considered heavyweights in the tournament, Finland seemed the obvious choice for […]
