MADRID: Spain have included Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz in their squad for the Davis Cup finals in Malaga in November, opening up the possibility of renewing their doubles partnership from the recent Paris Olympics.
Spain will face the Netherlands in the quarterfinal round of the Davis Cup Finals, an eightteam event in Malaga, Spain, from November 1924.
The eight countries competing for the 2024 Davis Cup title have announced their teams for the Final 8, with some of the sport's biggest stars set to battle it out for the right to become the 2024 world champions.
While world No. 1 Jannik Sinner will lead an Italian team aiming to become the first country to successfully defend its title since the Czech Republic in 201213, all attention will be on Spain with Nadal and Alcaraz.
The 38yearold Nadal, a 22time Grand Slam champion, lost to archrival Novak Djokovic in the second round of the singles, while in the men's doubles, he and Alcaraz lost in the quarterfinals to Americans Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram. Nadal has not played since the Paris Olympics as he withdrew from the US Open and Laver Cup. He has been battling health problems that have forced him to play limited events this season.
Alcaraz won two of the season's four Grand Slam titles, the French Open and Wimbledon.
Italy's quarterfinal opponents Argentina are also at full strength, with Sebastian Baez, Francisco Cerundolo and Tomas Martin Etcheverry all providing captain Guillermo Coria with a number of options in the singles matches.
The two most successful nations in Davis Cup history, the USA and Australia, will face off. The Americans will field three top 20 singles players in Malaga – with US Open runnerup Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton – while Australia will be led by Montreal champion Alexei Popyrin.
Germany will face Canada in the bottom half of the draw. The Germans' quest for a fourth Davis Cup title will be led by JanLennard Struff, while Canada have selected the same team that won the 2022 title, with Felix AugerAliassime and Denis Shapovalov at the forefront.
Spain, who also have veterans such as Roberto Bautista Agut, Pablo Carreno Busta and Marcelo Granollers in their squad, will play against the Netherlands in the quarterfinals, with the Dutch team led by Tallon Griekspoor and Botic van de Zandschulp – the latter of whom won against Alcaraz at the US Open this year. The Davis Cup quarterfinals will be held on November 1921, while the semifinals will be played on November 2223 and the final on November 24.
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– / Written By Top News Bulletin
Image Credit: KhasKhabar.