The Finals will be played in two stages. The first, in four zones of four teams, which will be played in Glasgow, Hamburg, Valencia and Bologna, the city that will host the Group A that make up the cast that leads William Coria, the local Italy, Croatia and Sweden. The first two – two singles and one double are played, always the best of three sets – will advance to the elimination phase, that is, quarters, semis and final.
Diego Schwartzmann, Francisco Cerundolo -debutante-, Sebastian Baez, Horace Zeballos Y Maximo Gonzalez They will open their participation at the Unipol Arena on Tuesday from 10 against Sweden, in theory the most accessible rival in the area. After two days of rest, on Friday they will collide with the local and will close on Saturday against Croatia.
“It favors you, with all due respect and humility, to open the series against Sweden, which is the game to win, with a 3-0 win and without losing sets. But then we have two games in a row, against Italy and Croatia, which are very tough”analyzed Coria in dialogue with Ambit.
Argentina will present a mix of experienced players with youngsters on the rise. Báez is part of the national cast for the second time, while the oldest of the Cerúndolo makes his absolute debut.
Sweden is a rival with little ATP tour that comes from eliminating Japan in March. Led by the brothers Mikael and Elias Ymer (99 and 133 in the ranking, respectively), the Scandinavians seem to be the guaranteed point in Zone A. However, they do not trust the national cast.
“In quotes, it’s the team to win, but it’s time for the first game, with fewer days of training, to change the schedule. It is the game that in theory you would play worse “, analyzes Schwartzman. In the same sense, Báez thinks that “beating Sweden is a bit relative, because all the teams have good players. We have to do things as well as possible, trust in our tennis”.
The challenge will grow on Friday with the clash against Italy, a large favorite in the area. Not only because of the presence of Jannik Sinner (13) and Matteo Berrettini (14), but by the double that make up Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini, with plenty of experience on the circuit, plus the youthful talent of Lorenzo Musseti.
The national team agrees in recognizing the superiority of the locals, who have two singles players with a formidable present (both reached the second week of the US Open) and have powerful and fast tennis, ideal for the indoor hard court where they play. will play “He is the toughest, he has two elite singles players and a double that was consolidated”warns Cerúndolo.
For the albiceleste captain, the locality will also play a decisive role. Just as he can motivate the Azzurri, he can also generate “pressure” on them. “You have to see how they respond as favorites and with a full stadium,” he argues.
The final day will see a new cross between Argentines and Croats, a series that is 4-0 in favor of the South Americans, including that magical night in Zagreb in which the national cast won its first Silver Salad Bowl. The last runners-up and current leaders of the ITF ranking are a team to be feared: Marin Cilic, once again among the best on the circuit, and Borna Coric, recovered from a lengthy injury and recent Cincinnati champion, are the singles players, along with Mate Pavic and Nikola Mektic, the best duo in the world in 2021 and winners of five titles this year.
For the “Peque”, Croatia is on a par with Italy: “Both are the favourites. We have to be competitive to try to get that place out of them. The great advantage is the habit they have on that surface”. “Everyone is complicated, and more so in a Davis Cup. We should think more of ourselves than of others. They all play well and even more so if they got here”accompanies Baez.
From the numerical approach, history accompanies Argentina, since it is 2-2 with Italy (first time indoors) and leads 3-2 against Sweden (1-2 record indoors). Of course, the moment is different, since the peninsulares are going through an outstanding present in all their tennis, from the base to the professionals, while the Croats have one of the most solid teams in these Davis Cup Finals. On the contrary, those commanded by Coria present a mix of young people on the rise with experience and reliability.
“We have a great team, great players, all healthy and motivated. The boys are going to be full, they are going to give 100% and we are not going to make it easy for the rivals. They will be well protected because we will not miss a single detail”closed Coria, national captain and member of the Argentine Tennis Association.
The elimination phase, the last one towards the title, will be played in Malaga from November 22 to 27. A priori, for the “Wizard” the splitting of the Finals is in favor of the players “because it is not that long. I think they are looking for a way around it to find the best format”. The Davis Cup changes, almost permanently. No longer chasing evolution but the recovery of what once was.
Davis Cup Finals group stage
Group A (in Bologna): Italy, Croatia, Argentina and Sweden
Group B (in Valencia): Spain, South Korea, Serbia and Canada.
Group C (in Hamburg): Germany, France, Australia and Belgium.
Group D (in Glasgow): Great Britain, United States, Kazakhstan and the Netherlands.
Source: Ambito
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