Tennis never stops. After an action packed fortnight at the US Open, the Davis Cup Finals Group stages begin. The question is: who will be the champion come November? Do Spain have a chance? Here at Last Word on Tennis, we give our opinion.
Spain at the Davis Cup
The Alcaraz factor
After two years, Carlos Alcaraz will return to the Davis Cup stage. In his debut season, he played one qualifier clash against Marius Copil and comfortably dealt with him 6-4 6-2. At the finals he had a 1-1 record, losing to Felix Auger-Alliassime 6-7 6-4 6-2 but defeating Soonwoo Kwon 6-4 7-6.
That was two years ago, Alcaraz is a different player now. He has three more Grand Slams to his name, has reached the summit of the rankings, and owns an Olympic Silver Medal.
The shift in dynamic is striking. He will now be the leader of this team at just 21. Beforehand (particularly in qualifying) there was a crop of experienced players who could have guided the young Spaniard. Now he embodies the team. He is the poster boy, the main man, the ticket seller.
Yet, times have been tougher for him recently. Since winning Wimbledon in epic fashion, he has faltered. An Olympic Silver Medal is nothing to scoff at, but early exits at Cincinnati and the US Open mean that he has been overtaken in the rankings by Alexander Zverev.
This is a team event though and separate from the tour. Perhaps he will welcome a change of scenery.
Other Teammates
Along side Carlos Alcaraz is Pedro Martinez, Roberto Bautista-Agut, Pablo Carreno Busta and Marcel Granollers. It’s an ageing team in dire need of some inspirational youth. Alcaraz will give just that.
It’s expected that Marcel Granollers will play doubles with Pablo Carreno Busta, meanwhile the remaining three will take to the singles court. Although, we could very well see Alcaraz play on the doubles court additionally.
The Battle through
If Spain are to battle through to the finals then they will need to finish in the top two of their group. Essentially, two wins and a loss should be enough.
Except, it’s not that simple. The 2019 champions have been dealt the group of death, with France, the Czech Republic, and Australia as their opponents. The likes of Alexei Popyrin, Jordan Thompson, Hugo Humbert, Arthur Fils, and Jiri Lehecka will stand in their way. Outside the World #3, it’s tough to see the remainder of the Spanish squad racking up many wins.
A lack of Recent Success May Continue
It’s for that reason that you worry for this Spanish team. The tournament they used to dominate has become a distant dream in recent years. Title number seven seems no closer.
After a terrible 2021 campaign things were looking up as they earned a runner up medal at the 2022 ATP Cup. However, that wasn’t a sign of things to come. Since then two lackluster campaigns have plagued their records.
In 2022 Croatia knocked them out in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, they didn’t even progress by the group stages last season.
The reason comes back to depth. In their glorious years they had the great Rafael Nadal winning consistently. However, behind him was a world class crop. David Ferrer reached as high as #3 in the rankings, while Feliciano Lopez provided know-how on both the singles and doubles court. Even during their success four years ago, Bautista Agut was younger and Carreno Busta was in much better form.
The reality is that this is a lopsided Spanish team. They are relying on Alcaraz to bring home the glory. Yet unlike most events in tennis, this is a team game, so they’ll need much more.
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
