Davis Cup Finals 2024 ‘Final 8’: A guide to Rafael Nadal’s farewell
It is set to be an emotional week, with 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal saying farewell to professional tennis at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals.
And we, at Tennishead, have the ultimate guide for you to get across tennis’ answer to the World Cup:
What are the Davis Cup Finals and how do they work?
The Davis Cup was founded all the way back in 1900, and has continually expanded to now include a total of 155 nations.
Nations compete in array of different level leagues across the globe and attempt to work their way up, with the eventual goal to reach the Davis Cup Finals.
The Davis Cup Finals began back in September with the Group Stages, as 16 nations halved down to ‘The Final 8’.
These last eight teams will compete in a knockout format held in a pre-arranged location, with ties consisting of three rubbers.
Each tie will begin with two singles matches, followed by a potential deciding doubles rubber needed if the tie is level.
When are the 2024 Davis Cup Finals?
The Davis Cup Finals knockout stages will get underway on Tuesday 19th November at 5pm local time (4pm GMT), with the first quarter-final tie between Spain and Netherlands.
Quarter-finals will continue until Thursday 21st November, with semi-finals taking place on Friday 22nd November and Saturday 23rd November.
On Sunday 24th November the competition will be left with two nations, and one of them will be crowned world champion in the tie that begins at 4pm CET (3pm GMT).
Where are the 2024 Davis Cup Finals held?
For a second consecutive year the Davis Cup Finals will take place in Malaga, Spain, and this time they will overlap with the latter stages of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
The event will take place at the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena, with the indoor hard court arena able to hold upto 11,300 spectators.
Bienvenido, @RafaelNadal 👋
Rafa has arrived in Malaga where he will play his last professional tournament next week at the #DavisCup ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Hj4Bax7NAq
— Davis Cup (@DavisCup) November 14, 2024
Who is playing at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals?
Unsurprisingly all eyes will be on Rafael Nadal next week, who will bring an end to his decorated 23-year career in Malaga.
Mil gracias a todos
Many thanks to all
Merci beaucoup à tous
Grazie mille à tutti
谢谢大家
شكرا لكم جميعا
תודה לכולכם
Obrigado a todos
Vielen Dank euch allen
Tack alla
Хвала свима
Gràcies a tots pic.twitter.com/7yPRs7QrOi— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) October 10, 2024
Nadal has won the Davis Cup on four previous occasions, and will be looking to go for one final triumph in-front of his home crowd.
The former World No.1 will be joined by Carlos Alcaraz, Pedro Martinez, Roberto Bautista Agut and Marcel Granollers in Malaga, leaving captain David Ferrer with a difficult dilemma as for who to pick.
Nadal is not the only player retiring at the Davis Cup next week, with Dutch opponent Wesley Koolhof also waving goodbye to tennis.
Jannik Sinner will also be in Malaga next week, with the World No.1 looking to lead his nation once again to defend their Davis Cup title.
Perhaps the most intriguing tie from the quarter-final stage is between the United States of America and Australia.
Australia have finished runners-up for the past two years, but have been dealt a blow with top ranked player Alex de Minaur currently missing from their lineup.
They will face a very strong American team that includes Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton, as former doubles No.1’s Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek.
Keep an eye on them 👀
With just one week left to the #DavisCup Final 8 we take a look at ones to watch ✨@Stake pic.twitter.com/dgqOPXZBwb
— Davis Cup (@DavisCup) November 12, 2024
Here is the full lineup for the Davis Cup Finals next week:
Spain vs Netherlands – 19th November at 5pm CET
| Spain | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player | SR | DR |
| Carlos Alcaraz | 3 | – |
| Pedro Martínez | 42 | 239 |
| Roberto Bautista Agut | 46 | – |
| Rafael Nadal | 155 | 848 |
| Marcel Granollers | – | 3 |
| Captain: David Ferrer | ||
| Netherlands | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player | SR | DR |
| Tallon Griekspoor | 40 | 136 |
| Botic Van de Zandschulp | 81 | 185 |
| Jesper De Jong | 111 | 579 |
| Wesley Koolhof | – | 8 |
| Captain: Paul Haarhuis | ||
Canada vs Germany – 20th November at 12pm CET
| Canada | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player | SR | DR |
| Denis Shapovalov | 56 | – |
| Gabriel Diallo | 86 | 686 |
| Alexis Galarneau | 216 | 1375 |
| Milos Raonic | 234 | – |
| Vasek Pospisil | 736 | 1375 |
| Captain: Frank Dancevic | ||
| Germany | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player | SR | DR |
| Jan-Lennard Struff | 43 | 127 |
| Daniel Altmaier | 88 | 562 |
| Yannick Hanfmann | 95 | 84 |
| Kevin Krawietz | – | 15 |
| Tim Puetz | – | 16 |
| Captain: Michael Kohlmann | ||
Italy vs Argentina – 21st November at 10am CET
| Italy | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player | SR | DR |
| Jannik Sinner | 1 | 336 |
| Lorenzo Musetti | 17 | 177 |
| Flavio Cobolli | 32 | 254 |
| Andrea Vavassori | 253 | 7 |
| Simone Bolelli | – | 9 |
| Captain: Filippo Volandri | ||
| Argentina | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player | SR | DR |
| Sebastián Báez | 27 | 204 |
| Francisco Cerúndolo | 30 | 223 |
| Tomas Martin Etcheverry | 39 | 205 |
| Andres Molteni | – | 21 |
| Maximo González | – | 22 |
| Captain: Guillermo Coria | ||
USA vs Australia – 21st November, not before 5pm CET
| United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player | SR | DR |
| Taylor Fritz | 5 | 166 |
| Tommy Paul | 12 | – |
| Ben Shelton | 21 | 100 |
| Rajeev Ram | – | 30 |
| Austin Krajicek | – | 43 |
| Captain: Bob Bryan | ||
| Australia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player | SR | DR |
| Alexei Popyrin | 24 | 856 |
| Jordan Thompson | 26 | 5 |
| Thanasi Kokkinakis | 79 | 447 |
| Max Purcell | 103 | 10 |
| Matt Ebden | – | 11 |
| Captain: Lleyton Hewitt | ||
SR – Singles Ranking
DR – Doubles Ranking
Are there any ranking points or prize money on offer at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals?
There are no ranking points on offer in Malaga, but there is a financial incentive with the world champions receiving $2,678,571:
| Round | Prize Money* |
| Champions | $2,678,571 |
| Runners-up | $1,607,143 |
| Semi-finals | $1,071,429 |
| Quarter-finals | $535,714 |
*Split between the members of the team
Previous winners of the Davis Cup
The USA have dominated this event in its 124-year history with a record 32 titles, but have been trophyless since 2007.
The last time the USA won the World Cup of Tennis 🏆
In 2007 the Bryan Brothers sealed the victory over Russia 3-0 after Andy Roddick & James Blake had given the USA a 2-0 lead. It was the USA’s first #DavisCup since 1995 and last to this day 🇺🇸
Bob Bryan will now try to… pic.twitter.com/nWJN2Dzbf9
— Davis Cup (@DavisCup) October 25, 2024
Last year saw Italy claim the title after beating Australia in the final, with Jannik Sinner winning the Davis Cup for his nation for the first time in 47 years.
Here are all of the past 10 winners and runners-up of the Davis Cup:
| Year | Final Location | Winner | Runner-Up |
| 2013 | Belgrade, Serbia | Czechia (3) | Serbia |
| 2014 | Lille, France | Switzerland | France |
| 2015 | Ghent, Belgium | Great Britain (10) | Belgium |
| 2016 | Zagreb, Croatia | Argentina | Croatia |
| 2017 | Lille, France | France (10) | Belgium |
| 2018 | Lille, France | Croatia (2) | France |
| 2019 | Madrid, Spain | Spain (6) | Canada |
| 2020 | Not held due to the Covid-19 Pandemic | – | – |
| 2021 | Madrid, Spain | Russian Tennis Federation (3) | Croatia |
| 2022 | Madrid, Spain | Canada | Australia |
| 2023 | Malaga, Spain | Italy (2) | Australia |
How can you watch the 2024 Davis Cup Finals?
You can watch the Davis Cup Finals on Tennis Channel in the United States of America, and Tennis Channel International across other parts of the globe.
More information about where you can watch the iconic team event in your location will be available in the near future.
When Rafa won Spain’s last #DavisCup in 2019 🏆
Get ready for more in Malaga’s Final 8, 19-24 November 🤩@RFETenis pic.twitter.com/u4a9jD8NK9
— Davis Cup (@DavisCup) November 6, 2024
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