The Spanish tennis team achieved this Sunday the passage to the eliminatory phase of the Davis Cup, which will be disputed between the November 22 and 27 in Malaga, where a Navy still in transition dreams of winning the nations trophy for the seventh time in its history. The group, led by the illusion of Carlos Alcaraz and the veteran of Robert Baptisthas shown that he has the level to beat the biggest and is already focusing on the event that will start in just over a month.
The path of the team commanded by captain Sergi Burguera towards the knockout phase in Malaga began months ago in the same province, specifically in Marbella, where the team faced Romania in March for a place in the finals. There, at the Puente Romano tennis club, Carlos Alcaraz -in what was his first appearance with the Spanish team after the frustrated debut due to covid in the finals of the previous year-, Roberto Bautista, Pablo Carreño, Alejandro Davidovich and Pedro Martínez Portero they achieved the pass by defeating the team led by Marius Copil 3-1.
From that qualifying round, more relevant for the emotional tribute to Manolo Santana than for the strictly sporting, few conclusions could be drawn from a group in the process of transformation. At most, confirmation of the importance of Alcaraz in the teamthe correct Bautista’s relationship with his fetish competitionthe commitment of a Pablo Carreño who traveled from the United States -and who finally did not play any match- and the deficiencies in the doubles.
Once resolved, the players went their separate ways until they met again in Paris, in a meeting in which they did not take up the racket to defend the interests of Spain, but in which the future of La Armada was debated. On the occasion of the celebration of Roland Garros, the players held a meeting in which questioned Bruguera’s ability to combine his position as captain with that of coach of Zverev. It was also present Rafael Nadalwho subsequently asked for respect for the figure of Bruguera, although he acknowledged “complicated situations” within the team.
Three months have passed since then, and the former Catalan tennis player is still in charge of a team that has solved the group stage of the Davis Cup proving to be one of the strong candidates for the title. And it is that, despite the time of transition in which a team that has lost most of the tennis players of the golden generation finds itself, the team has demonstrated its ability to compete against two great teams such as Serbia and Canadaachieving the first place in group B.
In this last phase, now valid to ‘examine’ the performance of the team, a series of conclusions can be drawn, the analysis of which is essential to consider the possibilities that the salad bowl returns to the Spanish showcase.
First of all, it stands out above everything the impact of Carlos Alcaraz in a team lacking a great star in the last big events, in which Rafa Nadal has not made an appearance to avoid the overload of matches. Juan Carlos Ferrero’s pupil already demonstrated his involvement in Marbella, but now he has confirmed it by jumping onto the track days after winning in a very demanding US Open.
Alcaraz knew that he did not reach 100% head-to-head against Auger indeed, but accepted the challenge and faced the toughest rival of the Canadian team. Now, having just reached the top of world tennis, the Spaniard knows of his importance in the team, and does not hesitate to put the team on his back: “I already have the illusion and the desire to play the final phase in Malaga”declared after sealing the pass to the elimination phase against South Korea, an appointment that will not be lost despite the important final stretch that the Murcian faces.
I already have the illusion and the desire to play the final phase in Malaga
Second, it reemphasizes the role of a veteran such as Robert Baptist in the national team, since the man from Castellón is now the most solid banner of the team. In addition to the experience that he shares with Marcel Granollers, Bautista has a special relationship with the competition, and is the safest value which Bruguera has in its ranks.
From these two names, undisputed numbers one and two, two of the tennis players who showed a great progression to be the short-term leaders before the arrival of Alcaraz appear, but who have fallen into a certain irregularity: Pablo Carreno and Davidovichthe two casualties of this call that have been replaced by Pedro Martinez Goalkeeper and Abert Ramos.
Of these two, it is the Spaniard, by age (31), who has the most stripes in the Navy, although it is true that he has not managed to take on the role of leader, and it is possible that be ‘overtaken’ by his friend Alcaraz in this role. On the other hand, Davidovich (23 years old) has changed in the last two seasons everything he needed to make the final leap to the top of the ranking, although he has not yet had opportunities to play any singles (he debuted with La Armada in Marbella in the doubles with Martínez Portero). In any case, both could play a crucial role in the knockout phase. if they arrive in optimal conditions to the appointment from the end of November.
Next is the doubles debate, a plot in which Bruguera’s project seems to have more shortcomingsespecially considering the closeness of the end of a cycle in which the weight of the matches per couple has been sustained by two great rackets: Marcel Granollers and Feliciano López. The 36-year-old Catalan is now the biggest reference, but it is possible that we will not see him again in the duo with the Toledo, who very probably has already offered -with a great performance against Russia in the last edition of the Davis Cup- his last service to the selection.
With the new competition format, the importance of the doubles has increased considerably, since only two victories in the singles prevent that from becoming the decisive one. Given this situation, Bruguera seems not to have too many options, and has chosen to use Pedro Martínez Portero together with Granollers (as in this group stage), or together with Davidovich in the absence of the Catalan. However, it seems that the solidity is not close to what Spain has had in this modality in previous generations.
The need to find another guaranteed doubles player seems imperative, but the coach has shown that it does not have other types of solutions in mind, although there are candidates for the position. The most logical seems to be David Vega -number 40 in the doubles ranking- who at 28 seems to have found his best tennis with Raphael Matosbut this does not seem to be on the captain’s radar, because after the victory achieved in March against Romania admitted not knowing the tennis player from Gran Canaria when asked at a press conference.
The finalist awaits in the quarterfinals
Once the ticket for the last phase has been obtained, the Navy is already thinking about the round in which the eight best teams will compete in Malaga, where awaits the Croatian team in the quarterfinals. The match, also the best of three games (two singles and doubles), will be on Wednesday, November 23, starting at 4:00 p.m. in the Martín Carpena pavilion.
The Balkan team finished the group stage in second place in group A, behind an Italian team full of stars that guarantee a great future and great options to fight for the title (Sinner, Berrettini, Musetti…). Despite the heavy defeat of the Croats against the team blue (3-0), the power of a team that already reached the final in the last edition played at the Madrid Arena and that won the salad bowl last year under the old format, in 2018, should not be underestimated.
Borna Coric (No. 26 and reigning Cincinnati Masters 1000 champion), Born Joy (Nº164), Mate Pavic and Nikola Mektic (top-10 of the doubles ranking) were the four men that the Croatian captain had in the group stage Vedran Martica very complete squad despite the absence of the great star, Marin Cilic.
Considering the current circumstances of both teams, the most likely matchups seem Alcaraz- Coric, Bautista-Gojoy Marcel Garnollers-Martinez Goalkeeper ante Mate Pavic and Nikola Mekticalthough both teams remain pending the possibility that their two great stars will sign up for the big event: Rafael Nadal by the Spanish team and Marin Cilic for the Croatian.
In the event that Spain wins against Croatia, as it did in the 2019 edition (by 3-0 in a group stage in which Russia also participated), it would most likely meet Australia in the semifinals, on the superior role to the Netherlands, so Nick Kyrgios could be the great rival to beat before the decisive match in the final.
On the other side of the chart, the quarter pairings are Italy- United States y Germany-Canadatwo tough duels between very favorite teams to win the final victory.
