The Australian Davis Cup staff has landed in a troublesome group for the round-robin stage of the 2024 competitors.
London, Nice Britain, 20 March 2024 | Leigh Rogers
Australia’s quest to win a primary Davis Cup title in 21 years begins in Spain in September.
The official draw for the group stage of the 2024 finals was carried out in London final evening, with Australia touchdown in Group B.
The Australian staff receives direct entry into the 16-nation finals as a reward for reaching the 2023 finals. They may battle in opposition to host nation Spain, Czech Republic and France throughout this 12 months’s group stage.
The round-robin ties can be performed on an indoor hardcourt at Valencia from 10-15 September.
The opposite group phases happen in Bologna (Italy), Manchester (Nice Britain) and Zhuhai (China).
Match director Feliciano Lopez declared Group B appeared to “be the strongest one”.
Spain boasts six top-100 gamers, together with world No.2 Carlos Alcaraz, whereas France has nice depth, with 10 males at present ranked contained in the world’s prime 100 in singles and 4 inside the world’s prime 50 in doubles.
Australia met the Czech Republic in final 12 months’s quarterfinals, the place they edged out a hard-fought 2-1 victory.
> VIEW: Davis Cup Finals – 2024 attracts
The highest-two performing nations of every group qualify for the knock-out stage of the finals, which can be performed within the Spanish metropolis of Malaga from 19-24 November.
Lots of Australia’s top-ranked gamers, together with top-10 star Alex de Minaur, have made no secret that chasing Davis Cup success is a serious precedence in 2024.
The Aussie staff is decided to enhance on runners-up finishes in 2022 and 2023.
“We’re very, very shut and it stinks like hell however, like I mentioned final 12 months on this identical place, we’ll be again,” De Minaur mentioned after a heart-breaking loss in opposition to Italy in final 12 months’s ultimate.
“We’ll get this. We’ve bought a really, very robust future forward of us.”
Matt Ebden, who not too long ago rose to world No.1 in doubles, agreed.
“I actually wish to win the Davis Cup sooner or later with the boys,” Ebden mentioned.
“We’ve been within the finals previously two years and we imagine we’re getting stronger and stronger yearly, so we’re actually aiming to win it.”
Australia claimed its most up-to-date Davis Cup title in 2003, when present captain Lleyton Hewitt led the staff to an exhilarating victory in opposition to Spain at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Area.
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