The Davis Cup Finals group stage got underway with exciting wins for Germany, Australia, and Canada. Germany overcame Slovakia in Group C despite the absence of Alexander Zverev, while Australia edged out France in Group B. Canada secured a victory over Argentina in Group D. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Final 8 knockout stage in Malaga, Spain.
Germany kicked off their Davis Cup Finals campaign with a convincing 3-0 victory over Slovakia, despite missing their top player, Alexander Zverev. Yannick Hanfmann, who saved a match point, secured the second singles win, while Maximilian Marterer won the first. Germany now faces the United States in a crucial Group C matchup.
British tennis star Jack Draper is focusing on his fitness after a tough US Open semifinal match. He’s set to join his Davis Cup teammates in Manchester ahead of their Group D matches, beginning Wednesday.
Australia’s bid to end its 21-year Davis Cup title drought has been dealt a blow with star player Alex de Minaur ruled out of the group stage due to a lingering hip injury. Despite his recent US Open quarterfinal run, de Minaur’s hip issue ultimately forced him to withdraw. Captain Lleyton Hewitt, however, remains optimistic about Australia’s chances, highlighting the strong form of other Australian players, including Alexei Popyrin and the doubles duo of Jordan Thompson and Max Purcell.
Top US Open performers Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe will not be representing the United States in the upcoming Davis Cup group stage matches in China. The U.S. Tennis Association has selected a different team for the competition, which begins next week.
Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner, who finished as the runner-up at the US Open, will not participate in the Davis Cup Finals group stage due to needing rest after the grueling tournament. This comes after he was exonerated from a doping case and reached the US Open final, where he lost to Taylor Fritz. Italy will instead rely on other players like Matteo Berrettini and Matteo Arnaldi for the group stage.
Manas Dhamne, a 16-year-old tennis sensation, has been selected to replace injured Sumit Nagal for the upcoming Davis Cup World Group tie against Sweden. The decision was made after a thorough assessment of Dhamne’s performances by the selection committee. The tie will be played in Stockholm on September 14 and 15.
India’s top-ranked men’s singles tennis player, Sumit Nagal, has withdrawn from the upcoming Davis Cup tie against Sweden due to a back injury. Nagal, who achieved a career-high ranking of 68 in July, cited the injury as the reason for his withdrawal from the US Open doubles event as well. He will be cheering for the Indian team from home while he focuses on recovering for the rest of the season.
The Indian Davis Cup team, led by coach Ashutosh Singh, is confident of a strong performance against Sweden in the World Group play-off tie, despite the challenging indoor hard court conditions in Stockholm. The team is banking on the experience of Sumit Nagal, who has enjoyed a successful season, as well as the contributions of other key players like Ramkumar Ramanathan and Sriram Balaji.
Indian tennis player Mukund Sasikumar has refuted claims of a two-tie ban imposed on him by the All India Tennis Association (AITA), citing visa issues and dissatisfaction with management as reasons for his absence from the Davis Cup team. The AITA had stated that Sasikumar was banned due to his repeated refusal to play for the national team, but Sasikumar asserts that he was not aware of any such ban and was even asked to play by the captain and coach.
