Great Britain gears up for Davis Cup finals group stage in Manchester
Posted : 11 September 2023
The Davis Cup Finals group stage is set to kick off this week, featuring 16 nations vying for a spot in the knockout stage. Great Britain is among the contenders and will compete in round-robin group matches at Manchester's AO Arena against Australia, France, and Switzerland.
After missing the February victory over Colombia, Andy Murray has returned to the squad, joining Cameron Norrie, Dan Evans, Neal Skupski, and Jack Draper. The top two teams from Britain's group will advance to the knockout stages scheduled for November.
Great Britain's captain, Leon Smith, expressed excitement about playing Davis Cup matches in Manchester in front of a passionate home crowd. He highlighted the team's strong Davis Cup experience and their readiness to compete in a challenging group that includes Australia, Switzerland, and France.
Murray, a key figure in Britain's historic Davis Cup win in 2015, was omitted from the qualifying match on clay against Colombia earlier this year. Smith cited concerns about the surface not suiting Murray, who had limited clay court experience with only three matches played on the surface since 2017.
The inclusion of 21-year-old Jack Draper in the team indicates that Smith plans to rely on the doubles partnership of Wimbledon champion Neal Skupski and Dan Evans, overlooking Joe Salisbury. Salisbury, along with his American partner Rajeev Ram, secured their third consecutive US Open men's doubles title recently.
To progress to the final stages of the competition, Great Britain must secure a top-two finish in their four-team group, with matches taking place from September 12 to 17. The finals will be held in Malaga, Spain, from November 21 to 26.
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