- GB are without Murray and Evans
- Salisbury on a high following ATP Finals win
- Djokovic spearheads Serbia
Great Britain are on the hunt for their eleventh Davis Cup title in Malaga, following successful performances against Australia, Switzerland, and France during September’s group stages in Manchester. However, they face favourites Serbia in their quarter-final and go into the final eight tournament without key players, including Andy Murray, who played a pivotal role in their last Davis Cup triumph in 2016.
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Murray and Evans to miss out for GB
Murray has announced his absence due to a minor shoulder injury that has now prematurely concluded his 2023 season. The British team will also miss Dan Evans, who sustained a calf injury during a match against Frances Tiafoe in Vienna.
Despite these setbacks, Great Britain possesses depth in both singles and doubles, with a formidable team heading to Spain in pursuit of Davis Cup glory. Leading the charge in singles are Cameron Norrie and the in-form Jack Draper, who recently reached the final in Sofia and claimed a challenger title in Italy. The doubles lineup includes world-class players Neal Skupski and Joe Salisbury, the latter arriving with momentum from winning the ATP Finals alongside partner Rajeev Ram. Completing the lineup is Liam Broady, a replacement for Murray, who has earned his spot after a career-best season.
Speaking about the team, Leon Smith expressed confidence in their ability to succeed in Spain. “The guys did such a great job that week in Manchester, and we will go to Malaga with confidence and belief that we can be successful,” said Smith.
Great Britain’s quarter-final opponent is Serbia, led by world No.1 Novak Djokovic. Djokovic, having one of the best seasons of his career, recently won the Nitto ATP Finals for a record-breaking seventh time and secured the year-end world No.1 ranking for the eighth time. The quarter-final against Djokovic’s team will undoubtedly be a significant challenge. At the time of writing bet365 have Serbia as 2/5 favourites ahead of GB who are prced at 7/4. Check out our preview to Serbia vs GB.
If Great Britain manages to overcome Serbia, a tough semi-final awaits against either Italy, led by Jannik Sinner, or the Netherlands, with a strong singles and doubles lineup. The other quarter-final matchups include defending champions Canada facing Finland and Australia taking on Czech Republic. William Hill have Canada as 4/9 favourites with Finland at 13/8 and the Czech Republic priced at 5/2 with Australia favourites at 7/2.
The Davis Cup tournament kicks off on Tuesday, with Great Britain’s match against Serbia scheduled for Thursday at 15:00 GMT. The semi-finals will take place on Saturday, and the champion will be crowned on Sunday. The competition promises excitement and unpredictability as teams vie for the prestigious Davis Cup title.
Davis Cup squads
Great Britain
Cameron Norrie
Jack Draper
Liam Broady
Neal Skupski
Joe Salisbury
Captain: Leon Smith
Serbia
Novak Djokovic
Laslo Djere
Dusan Lajovic
Miomir Kecmanovic
Hamad Medjedovic
Captain: Viktor Troicki
Italy
Jannik Sinner
Lorenzo Musetti
Matteo Arnaldi
Lorenzo Sonego
Simone Bolelli
Captain: Filippo Volandri
Netherlands
Tallon Griekspoor
Botic Van De Zandschulp
Gijs Brouwer
Wesley Koolhof
Jean-Julien Rojer
Captain: Paul Haarhuis
Canada
Felix Auger-Aliassime
Gabriel Diallo
Alexis Galarneau
Vasek Pospisil
Milos Raonic
Captain: Frank Dancevic
Finland
Emil Ruusuvuori
Otto Virtanen
Patrick Kaukovalta
Harri Heliovaara
Patrik Niklas-Salminen
Captain: Jarkko Nieminen
Australia
Alex De Minaur
Alexei Popyrin
Jordan Thompson
Max Purcell
Matthew Ebden
Captain: Lleyton Hewitt
Czech Republic
Jiri Lehecka
Tomas Machac
Jakub Mensik
Adam Pavlasek
Captain: Jaroslav Navratil
Betting Implications
At the time of writing Great Britain are fourth favourites to lift the Davis Cup. At the time of writing SpreadEx have Britain priced at 11/2. Serbia are favourites at 15/8, followed by Italy, 7/2 and Australia 9/2. Canada are fifth favourites at 13/2.
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