Big stars come out to play in Davis Cup

NOVAK Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev, the two top-ranked players in the world, will be the main attractions of the Davis Cup when it attempts to reestablish itself this week after last year’s event was cancelled.

The Davis Cup, which began life in 1900 as a bilateral contest between Britain and the US, has had numerous makeovers, most recently in 2019 when it was reshaped to resemble a world championships.

This year’s event will be played by 18 teams, initially in six groups, over 11 days and across three cities.

The group stages, which started on Thursday, will be played in Madrid, Turin and Innsbruck, where the surge in coronavirus cases and subsequent lockdown in Austria means matches will once again be played in an empty arena.

The semi-finals and December 5 final will all be played in the Spanish capital, reward for the team that won the title two years ago.

Back then Spain could call on Rafael Nadal. This time around the 35-year-old is out of action, recovering from a foot injury that restricted him to a single tournament since losing to Djokovic in the semifinals of the French Open.

The 20-time major winner is anticipating a return to the court in Abu Dhabi next month.

The holder faces a tough battle with Medvedev’s Russian team on Sunday to progress from its group to the quarter-finals.

“It’s true that we had a big advantage,” Spanish captain Sergi Bruguera said. “If you have Nadal in your team you are straight in as favourites because he is the best player in the history of the Davis Cup.”

Spain still has three players, including Pablo Carreno Busta, who were a part of the 2019 winning team and in 18year-old Carlos Alcaraz it has one of the most exciting young players on the tour.

Russian hopes in Group A, which contains Ecuador, rest on an impressive all-round team.