Davis Cup Tennis 2018: Semi-Finals Dates, Schedule, Live Stream and Predictions
The semi-finals of the 2018 Davis Cup World Group kick off on Friday, as France host Spain and Croatia take on the United States.
There will be no Rafael Nadal for Spain on the indoor hard courts of Lille's Stade Pierre Mauroy.
The world No. 1 was forced to retire from his U.S. Open semi-final against Juan Martin del Potro with a knee injury, and he has decided to sit this one out, per Jovica Ilic at Tennis World.
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Albert Ramos-Vinolas will replace Nadal in a team that also features Pablo Carreno Busta, Roberto Bautista Agut, Feliciano Lopez and Marcel Granollers.
France are also missing some key players, as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gael Monfils are both out injured. Benoit Paire has been called into the squad for the first time in his career. He joins Lucas Pouille, Richard Gasquet, Julien Benneteau and Nicolas Mahut.
The matches begin with the first singles rubbers taking place on Friday before the teams play doubles on Saturday. The ties conclude on Sunday with the final, and potentially decisive, singles rubbers.
The full schedule for France's semi-final clash with Spain is available here. To access full details for Croatia against United States, click here.
Tennis Channel will provide coverage of both semi-finals, and the television schedule is available here.
France will be hoping to defend the title they won in 2017, and captain Yannick Noah has said his team have been boosted by the absence of Nadal, per Agence France-Presse (h/t Yahoo Sports).
"As a captain, it changes everything for the match. The set-up is totally different, especially in terms of preparation," he said. "When Nadal plays, it's almost (a certain) two points for Spain. Now, that changes and we have to adapt to it."
Nadal will be a big loss for a Spain team that has a good record against France. In eight Davis Cup meetings, they have won six and lost just two. The two teams have met four times in the semi-finals before, with Spain winning all four matches.
Spain captain Sergi Bruguera has explained what it means for his team to play without their star man, per Associated Press (h/t USA Today).
"Coming here without Nadal obviously changes a lot of things for us," he said. "Actually, it changes everything. Now the French are even more favourites."
The two teams look closely matched on paper, but home advantage and Nadal's absence could just swing the tie in France's favour.
The winners will play either Croatia or the United States in the final. Croatia play hosts in the second semi-final on the clay courts at the Sportski centar Visnjik in Zadar.
The two teams have met four times in the Davis Cup, and the U.S. are yet to win. Here's a look at both teams' record in the competition:
Croatia is led by world No.6 Marin Cilic. He comes into the tournament after being knocked out of the 2018 U.S. Open by Kei Nishikori in a dramatic quarter-final. Joining him in the team are Borna Coric, Franko Skugor, Mate Pavic and Ivan Dodig.
The visitors' team consists of Steve Johnson, Frances Tiafoe, Sam Querrey, Mike Bryan and Ryan Harrison, who has replaced the injured Jack Sock.
Captain Jim Courier offered a neat guide to his players:
John Isner will not play, as he is about to become a father, per freelance writer Ben Rothenberg:
The U.S. have not reached the final since their last Davis Cup win back in 2007. Croatia have been more successful in recent years and are aiming for their second final in three years. They were beaten finalists in 2016 as Argentina claimed their first-ever Davis Cup victory.
Croatia have a perfect record against the U.S., and with home advantage and Cilic in the team, they look the favourites for victory
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