Italy’s Davis Cup team are preparing to defend the trophy they have won twice consecutively.
However, unfortunately for Italian fans, the team will be without Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti when they face Austria in the Davis Cup quarter-finals.
Sinner, who won the ATP Finals on Sunday, withdrew from the event due to the busy tennis schedule, while Musetti has chosen not to participate due to physical reasons and family obligations.
The Italian team, led by Filippo Volandri, will feature Flavio Cobolli, Matteo Berrettini, Lorenzo Sonego, Andrea Vavassori, and Simone Bolelli at the Davis Cup Finals.
They will face Austria in the quarter-finals – a team captained by former world number eight Jurgen Melzer.
Jurgen Melzer comments on the absences of Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti
Jurgen Melzer, the captain behind Austria’s run to the quarter-finals, was asked about the absence of Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti during a pre-Davis Cup press conference in Bologna.
The Austrian star has selected Filip Misolic, Jurij Rodionov, Lukas Neumayer, Lucas Miedler, and Alexander Erler to represent Austria at this year’s Finals.
One journalist in Bologna asked Melzer: “Captain, you didn’t get an easy draw, but you saw that Jannik and Lorenzo finally decided to withdraw. Does this change your perspective on your first match?
“Second question is, what would you say is the biggest asset of your team? Is it having spent the two previous rounds all together, having a strong collective?”
Melzer replied: “Well, first of all, I mean, Jannik and Lore, I think you don’t have a lot of players in the world that easily you put them in instead of them and the team has the same strength.
“In the end it’s better for us, but we are still the underdog in that tie. If you look at the players that Italy has and the players that could replace them, they’re still ranked ahead of our top player. I would say the chances rose a little bit. In the end, yeah, we need to do our job as good as we can.
“Coming back to your second question, the players that sit here, I’m proud of them because they have been there, they have raised their hand whenever I called up for them. That’s a team that’s sitting here.
“We have been running for each other, we have been fighting for each other, not only for the last two ties, but we go back. We have four-tie winning streak. This is something that builds.
“Years ago, we played Ireland away. We said, ‘okay, the goal is to get to the Finals.’ Maybe it was a little bit optimistic at that time. In the end, we’re here, and that shows a lot about the spirit of this team.”
Austria’s road to the Davis Cup final eight
Austria began their 2025 Davis Cup campaign on a high note, defeating Finland 4-0 in the first round of qualifying while playing in Schwechat, Austria.
In the second round, contested in September, a tougher test awaited the Austrian collective in the form of Hungary.
The Austrian team started strong: Jurij Rodionov and Luka Neumayer both won their singles matches to leave the squad 2-0 ahead at the end of day one.
They were pegged back to 2-2 on day two after Fabian Marozsan and Zsombor Piros defeated Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler in the doubles, and Piros defeated Neumayer in the singles.
In the deciding clash, Rodionov defeated Marton Fucsovics, sending Austria to the Davis Cup Finals.
If Austria defeats Italy in the quarter-finals, they will face either France or Belgium in the semi-finals.
