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Davis Cup 2021

Davis Cup Finals 2023 Preview: A guide to the ‘Final 8’


The Davis Cup Finals are set to take place next week, with eight nations vying to become champions of the world.

And we, at Tennishead, have everything you need to know about the prestigious tournament:

What is the Davis Cup?

The Davis Cup was founded all the way back in 1900, with the first three editions just taking place between the United States of America and the ‘British Isles’.

Since then, the competition has expanded to include 155 nations, who compete in array of different divisions from the World Group to Group V in some regions.

Nations compete to work their way up the different groups, with the eventual goal to qualify for the Davis Cup Finals that take place towards the end of each year.

Some ties are still played in a home-and-away format, however the finals are now held in pre-arranged locations.

Both Russia and Belarus are currently banned from the competition due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

How do the Davis Cup Finals work?

The Davis Cup Finals take place over two stages, the group stages and the knockout stages.

There were a total of sixteen nations at the Davis Cup Finals Group Stages, that took place back in September in four different locations (Bologna, Manchester, Valencia and Split), with the top two from each group advancing to the knockout stages that are branded as ‘The Final 8’.

These knockout stages, beginning with the quarter-finals, are held at one pre-arranged location and are played in a best-of-three rubber format.

Each tie will consist of two singles matches, with the No.1 chosen player competing against the No.1 from the opposing nation and so forth, followed by a deciding doubles match if needed.

When are the 2023 Davis Cup Finals?

The Davis Cup knockout stages will begin on Tuesday 21st November, with the first of the four quarter-final ties.

Following the conclusion of the four quarter-finals on Thursday 23rd November will be the semi-finals on Friday and Saturday, before the grand final takes place to crown the world champions on Sunday 26th November at 4pm local time (3pm GMT).

Where are the 2023 Davis Cup Finals held?

The Davis Cup Finals knockout stages will take place in Malaga, Spain, for a second consecutive year at the Martin Carpena Arena.

This indoor sporting venue hosts a capacity of 11,300 spectators, with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and the grand final all taking place on one court.

Who is playing at the 2023 Davis Cup Finals?

The 2023 Davis Cup Finals consist of a mixture of familiar faces with the likes of 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic representing Serbia, and some more obscure names in the Finnish lineup.

Last year saw the likes of Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov steer the Canadian’s to their first ever Davis Cup title, however it was actually the likes of Gabriel Diallo, Alexis Galarneau and Vasek Pospisil who helped advance them to the knockout stages in 2023.

Auger-Aliassime has returned to lead his nation once again, but Shapovalov is still absent due to an ongoing knee injury.

On paper Canada have been offered a favourable quarter-final draw against Finland, however they should not be underestimated after eliminating record 32-time champions USA in Split.

Last year’s runners-up Australia have come to Malaga with an identical lineup to 2022, and will be hoping to go one better when they take on a tricky Czech team lead by Jiri Lehecka.

Jannik Sinner is one of five players participating in both the ATP Finals and the Davis Cup Finals. however the world No.4 is backed up by a strong lineup of singles and doubles players ahead of the Italian’s quarter-final tie with the Netherlands.

Perhaps the most intriguing tie of them all is between Great Britain and Serbia, with Djokovic openly revealing one of his main goals for the season is to regain the Davis Cup, 13 years after his nations maiden triumph.

Fans had hoped for the rivalry between Djokovic and Andy Murray to be reignited, however that can no longer happen after the Brit withdrew due to a minor shoulder injury.

Here are the full quarter-final lineups:

Canada vs Finland – Tuesday 21st November at 4pm local time (3pm GMT)

Canada
Player SR* DR**
Felix Auger-Aliassime 29 164
Gabriel Diallo  136 382
Alexis Galarneau 198 486
Vasek Pospisil 300 572
Milos Raonic  323
Captain: Frank Dancevic

 

Finland
Player SR DR
Emil Ruusuvuori  71 418
Otto Virtanen 170 361
Patrick Kaukovalta 781 710
Harri Heliövaara 29
Patrik Niklas-Salminen 123
Captain: Jarkko Nieminen

 

Czechia vs Australia – Wednesday 22nd November at 4pm local time (3pm GMT)

Czechia
Player SR DR
Jiri Lehecka  31 148
Tomas Machać 70
Jakub Mensik 152 545
Adam Pavlasek 56
Captain: Jaroslav Navratil

 

Australia
Player SR DR
Alex de Minaur 12 176
Alexei Popyrin 40 258
Max Purcell 45 35
Jordan Thompson 56 105
Matthew Ebden 4
Captain: Lleyton Hewitt

 

Italy vs Netherlands – Thursday 23rd November at 10am local time (9am GMT)

 Italy
Player SR DR
Jannik Sinner 4 497
Lorenzo Musetti  27 284
Matteo Arnaldi 44 572
Lorenzo Sonego 47 244
Simone Bolelli  55
Captain: Filippo Volandri

 

Netherlands
Player SR DR
Tallon Griekspoor 23 109
Botic Van de Zandschulp 52 84
Gijs Brouwer 163 442
Wesley Koolhof 5
Jean-Julien Rojer 18
Captain: Paul Haarhuis

 

Serbia vs Great Britain – Thursday 23rd November at 4pm local time (3pm GMT)

 Serbia
Player SR DR
Novak Djokovic 1
Laslo Djere 33 572
Dusan Lajovic 46 847
Miomir Kecmanovic 55 159
Hamad Medjedovic 110 1357
Captain: Viktor Troicki

 

Great Britain
Player SR DR
Cameron Norrie 18 195
Jack Draper 61
Liam Broady 102 238
Neal Skupski 3
Joe Salisbury 12
Captain: Leon Smith

*Singles Ranking

**Doubles Ranking


READ NEXT: Jannik Sinner dismisses injury concerns after perfect ATP Finals group stage


Previous winners of the Davis Cup

The United States of America won the first ever Davis Cup back in 1900, and have gone onto win it more times than any other nation (32).

Last year saw a new name added to the trophy, with Canada beating Australia 2-0 in the final in Malaga.

Here are the last 10 winners of the Davis Cup:

Year Location Winner
2012 Prague, Czech Republic Czechia (2)
2013 Belgrade, Serbia  Czechia (3) 
2014 Lille, France Switzerland 
2015 Ghent, Belgium  Great Britain (10)
2016 Zagreb, Croatia Argentina 
2017 Lille, France France (10)
2018 Lille, France Croatia (2)
2019 Madrid, Spain Spain (6)
2021 Madrid, Spain  Russian Tennis Federation (3)
2022 Malaga, Spain Canada 

How can you watch the 2023 Davis Cup Finals?

You can watch all of Great Britain’s ties and the Davis Cup Finals final on the BBC iPlayer or on the BBC Sport website in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

To watch the entire tournament in Malaga in your location, you can subscribe to Tennis Channel International.

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Matthew Johns, Tennishead Writer, is a professional tennis journalist with a specialist degree in Sports Journalism. He's a keen tennis player having represented his local club and University plus he's also a qualified tennis coach. Matthew has a deep knowledge of tennis especially the ATP Tour and thrives on breaking big tennis news stories for Tennishead.

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