New Delhi: Former World No.1 Rafael Nadal and youngster Carlos Alcaraz on Monday were named in Spain’s roster for the Davis Cup Finals. The move indicated that tennis aficionados will get another sight of watching the ‘Master and the Apprentice’ together in a doubles partnership after the duo paired at the Paris Olympics 2024 at the Roland-Garros.
Nadal’s selection for Spain is an interesting one after the 38-year-old withdrew from the recently concluded Laver Cup for Team Europe earlier this month citing he won’t be able to play at his best and that wasn’t a good thing in a team event.
The 22-Grand Slam champion hasn’t competed on the court after his second round loss to rival Novak Djokovic in the Paris Olympics in men’s singles. He and Alcaraz bowed out of the quarterfinal stage of men’s doubles against Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram of United States. Nadal pulled out of the US Open while dealing with health issues.
Alcaraz suffered two shocking early exits in August against French players. He was defeated by Gael Monfils in the Round of 32 at the Cincinnati Masters followed by the second round ousting by 74th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp in the US Open 2024.
He helped Team Europe regain the Laver Cup after two years following his brilliant win over Taylor Fritz 6-2, 7-5. Team Europe defeated Team World 13-11 in the Laver Cup 2024, ending the reign of Bjorn Borg as Team Europe captain on a successful note.
At the age of 21 years and 70 days, Alcaraz became the youngest tennis male player to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same calendar year (this year). With this achievement, the Spanish prodigy took his Grand Slam tally to four titles.
Spain to meet Netherlands in QF of Davis Cup
Spain will take on the Netherlands in the quarterfinal round of the Davis Cup Finals, an eight-team event Nov. 19-24 in Malaga, Spain. The other opening matchups are: defending champion Italy vs. Argentina; the United States vs. Australia; and Germany vs. Canada.
Italy will be led by No. 1-ranked Jannik Sinner, who won the Australian Open in January and the U.S. Open this month. The Italian roster also includes Lorenzo Musetti, a semifinalist at Wimbledon and bronze medalist at the Olympics.
The U.S. roster features Taylor Fritz, the runner-up to Sinner at Flushing Meadows, along with past major semifinalists Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton, plus doubles specialists Krajicek and Ram.
The Italy-Argentina winner will face the U.S.-Australia winner in the semifinals, with the winners of Germany-Canada and Netherlands-Spain meeting in the other semifinal. Italy won its first Davis Cup title since 1976 a year ago in Malaga.
(With inputs from Associated Press)
Rafael Nadal’s selection for Spain is an interesting one after the 38-year-old withdrew from the recently concluded Laver Cup for Team Europe earlier this month citing he won’t be able to play at his best and that wasn’t a good thing in a team event. Tennis Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
