Thursday, Jan 27, 2022. 8:32 AM
MADRID – The young Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz will play the Davis Cup tennis play-off against Romania on March 4 and 5 in Andalusia, but not Rafael Nadal, the Spanish Tennis Federation announced on Thursday.
With Alcaraz, 18, 31st in the world at the start of the Australian Open, Spain will field a selection also made up of Roberto Bautista, Pablo Carreño, Alejandro Davidovich and Marcel Granollers, captain Sergi Bruguera has decided.
This dam was caused by the defeat of Spain against Russia during the final phase of the new format Davis Cup in November in Madrid.
Alcaraz only lost in the 3rd round in Melbourne, and in five sets, against the Italian Matteo Berrettini. He couldn’t play last November in Madrid because he tested positive for COVID-19.
Spain won the very first edition of the new Davis Cup formula in 2019. Romania does not currently have any players ranked in the top-100 global.
The meeting will take place on the clay courts of the Puente Romano club in Marbella, in Andalusia (south).
A logical victory against Romania would allow the Spaniards to return to the finals at the end of 2022, with a new format and 16 national teams divided into four groups in the first round, with two in each group qualifying for the knockout phase.
