Andy Murray celebrates with the GB team on winning the Davis Cup Final 2015
Andy Murray celebrates with the GB team on winning the Davis Cup Final 2015 | (Photo by William Van Hecke/Corbis via Getty Images)

Tennis | Davis Cup Finals 2019 | One place remains in British team as both Norrie and Edmund exit tournaments early

By Ros Satar

  • Team captain Leon Smith announces four of his five-man squad for November’s new-look Davis Cup Finals
  • Cameron Norrie falls in the last round of qualifying in Basel
  • Kyle Edmund suffers an eighth straight defeat in a row
LONDON, ENGLAND – Leon Smith names four of his five-man squad for the new-look Davis Cup finals, but who will grab the final place?

 

-Latest player gear | Pro:Direct Tennis Shop-

Buy the latest gear from the top players from the Pro:Direct Tennis Shop and check out their 80% off sale on selected tennis equipment now on

[table “ADPDAll” not found /]

 

Matteo Berrettini [3] def. Kyle Edmund 3-6, 6-3, 6-4

Embed from Getty Images

For a match that started so well for former British No. 1 Kyle Edmund, it would result in another frustrating loss – his eighth in a row, against the No. 3 seed Matteo Berrettini.

The start of the match saw a return to Edmund’s more aggressive style of play, commanding the court with his serve and forehand combo firing well, whereas Berrettini looked sluggish and error-strewn before tweaking his ankle in an awkward looking roll that possibly put his continued play at risk.

However, it was a temporary glitch for the Italian, who started to work his way into the match, as Edmund’s stats started to tail off. In a match of small margins, it took just one break late in the second set to give Berrettini a route back.

With his confidence growing, while Edmund’s is still in a fragile state, Berrettini struck first and ultimately decisively early in the decider and held onto the advantage with no other break-points being offered up to either player, to hand Edmund an eighth straight defeat.

 

Who snaps up the final Davis Cup spot?

Also on Monday Davis Cup team captain Leon Smith named four of his planned five-man squad fir the Davis Cup Finals, the new week-long event in Madrid.

The inaugural Davis Cup finals will take place at La Caja Magica on specially laid hard courts, with 18 nations battling for the Davis Cup trophy.

In a press release from the LTA, Smith said: “I’m delighted to name our first four players to represent GB for the Davis Cup Finals.  Dan is playing some of the best tennis of his career and firmly deserves his place back inside the world’s Top 50.

“It’s been absolutely fantastic to see Andy back competing again, headlined by his incredible win in Antwerp yesterday.  Jamie and Neal have been gaining much momentum as a team with impressive semi-final runs at Cincinnati, US Open, Beijing and Shanghai.

“We are in a good position with improved strength and depth in our team and will be naming the fifth player in the next couple of weeks.  We are looking forward to bringing our best tennis to the group phase and as always, we are excited to play for our many home fans and all those traveling out to Madrid.”

With Edmund struggling for form, it is widely believed that the fifth and final spot will go to Cameron Norrie, who now moves back to to the British No. 2 spot, especially with a resurgent run in tournaments following a disappointing first round loss at the US Open.

 

-Viagogo Tennis Tickets-

Search Viagogo for tennis tickets for upcoming tournaments

[table “ADTenTix” not found /]

 

The New Format

The Davis Cup Finals will follow a round-robin format before the winners of each group and the next two top teams will advance to the knockout stages. Ties will feature two singles matches and one doubles rubber, all best-of-three tie-break sets.

Great Britain, who last won the Davis Cup in 2015 are in Group E, together with the Netherlands and Kazakhstan. They will play them respectively on Wednesday 20 and Thursday 21 November.

The quarter-finals will take place on Friday 22, semi-finals on Saturday 23 and the final on Sunday 24 November.

 

-Connected Clubs-

Shop at Connected Clubs for a vast range in tennis equipment and training aids to help improve your tennis.