Davis Cup Finals 2021: Format, Rules, Players and Bracket Schedule
The 2021 Davis Cup Finals begin on Thursday, with 18 nations vying for the crown across three venues: the Madrid Arena in Madrid, Spain; the Olympia-Halle in Innsbruck, Austria; and the Pala Alpitour Arena in Turin, Italy.
Eighteen teams will compete in six groups of three, and the six group winners, plus the two second-placed teams with the best records based on the percentage of sets won, will qualify for the quarterfinals.
A knockout phase will then determine the Davis Cup champion.
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Spain will be looking to repeat as titleholders, but it will be difficult for the country to win back-to-back titles without Rafael Nadal, who continues to recover from a foot injury. Still, the team features an impressive group that includes Sergi Bruguera and Pablo Carreno Busta.
Other countries to watch include the Novak Djokovic-led Serbia and Daniil Medvedev's Russian Tennis Federation team.
Draw
Group A: Spain, Russian Tennis Federation, Ecuador
Group B: Canada, Kazakhstan, Sweden
Group C: France, Great Britain, Czech Republic
Group D: Croatia, Australia, Hungary
Group E: USA, Italy, Colombia
Group F: Serbia, Germany, Austria
Schedule
Thursday, Nov. 25
France vs. Czech Republic
Canada vs. Sweden
Croatia vs. Australia
Friday, Nov. 26
Serbia vs. Austria
Spain vs. Ecuador
United States vs. Italy
Saturday, Nov. 27
France vs. Great Britain
Serbia vs. Germany
Kazakhstan vs. Sweden
Russian Tennis Federation vs. Ecuador
Australia vs. Hungary
Italy vs. Columbia
Sunday, Nov. 28
Great Britain vs. Czech Republic
Germany vs. Austria
Canada vs. Kazakhstan
Spain vs. Russian Tennis Federation
Croatia vs. Hungary
United States vs. Columbia
Quarter-finals: Monday, Nov. 29 - Thursday, Dec. 2
Semi-finals: Friday, Dec. 3 - Saturday, Dec. 4
Final: Sunday, Dec. 5
Full bracket information can be found at the Davis Cup's official website. A list of the players in each squad can be found here.
Preview
With Nadal sidelined, more pressure will be put on Spain's other competitors to defend its success at the 2019 tournament. The team still has an impressive squad, though: Carreno Busta, Albert Ramos, Carlos Alcaraz, Feliciano Lopez and Marcel Granollers.
Spain won't be the only team without one of its best players.
Andy Murray, who led Great Britain to its first Davis Cup win in 79 years in 2015, has been omitted from the squad this year. The team will be headlined by Cameron Norrie, Daniel Evans, Joe Salisbury, Neal Skupski and Liam Broady.
Germany will be without Alexander Zverev, who told Sports Bild (h/t France 24) that the ATP Finals would be his last tournament of 2021. With the world No. 3 out, the team features Jan Lennard Struff, Dominik Koepfer, Peter Gojowczyk, Kevin Krawietz, Tim Puetz and Michael Kohlmann.
Another big name absent from the tournament is Matteo Berrttini, who suffered an injury at the ATP Finals. Canada's Denis Shapovalov and France's Gael Monfils will also not be competing in the tournament.
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