By Tony Fairbairn
- Dan Evans and Andy Murray will miss the final eight tournament in Malaga after suffering season-ending injuries
- Great Britian will face Serbia in the quarter-finals as they search for an eleventh Davis Cup title.
MALAGA, SPAIN – Great Britian will have to overcome key injuries to Dan Evans and Andy Murray if they want to win an eleventh Davis Cup title in Malaga.
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Great Britain are searching for their eleventh Davis Cup title in Malaga after overcoming Australia, Switzerland and France in September’s group stages in Manchester. They will be without key members of their squad though as Leon Smith’s side look to repeat their triumph in 2016. The man who was responsible for Great Britain’s last Davis Cup triumph will miss Malaga’s final eight tournament.
Of course that player is Andy Murray after the Brit announced that he has a minor shoulder injury which has turned into an injury that has ended his 2023 season abruptly. Murray is now looking ahead to the new season which will kick off in Brisbane in January.
“I’ve picked up a minor shoulder injury which means I won’t be able to take part in the Davis Cup,” Murray was quoted by The Guardian as saying.
“I’m gutted not to be part of the squad but my focus is now on rehab and getting ready for the new season.”
Murray joins Dan Evans on the absentees list for Malaga after Evans suffered a nasty calf injury during his match against Frances Tiafoe in Vienna. Evans was responsible for the majority of singles and doubles wins in Manchester and will be a big miss in what is a tough section for the draw for the British team.
Nevertheless, Great Britain are blessed with good depth in singles and doubles with a strong team heading to Spain in search for Davis Cup glory. The two main singles players leading the line are Cameron Norrie and in-form Jack Draper, who reached the final in Sofia as well as winning a challenger title in Italy.
They will be joined by two world class doubles players in the form of Neal Skupski and Joe Salisbury with Salisbury heading into Malaga with form having won the ATP Finals alongside partner Rajeev Ram. Completing the line-up will be Liam Broady who has been rewarded for a career-best season as he has been called as a replacement for Murray.
Speaking when originally announcing the team, Leon Smith believes that Great Britain can go all the way in Spain.
“The guys did such a great job that week in Manchester and we will go to Malaga with confidence and belief that we can be successful,” Smith told the LTA website.
“The quarter final versus Serbia will of course be a big challenge with a team led by world No.1 Novak Djokovic but we have to believe we can win.”
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Djokovic’s Serbia awaits Great Britain in Quarter-Final clash
Facing Great Britain in the last eight are Serbia, who are lead by the world number one Novak Djokovic. The 24-time Grand Slam is nearing the end of one of the best seasons of his career having won the Nitto ATP Finals for a record-breaking seventh time as well as achieving the year-end world number one ranking for an eighth time.
Djokovic will need to be at his ultimate best as he will be a crucial part of the singles and doubles ties for Serbia. Joining Djokovic in Malaga are Laslo Djere, Dusan Lajovic, Miomir Kecmanovic and Hamad Medjedovic.
Should the British team topple Serbia, then they will have a tough semi-final against either Italy or Netherlands. Italy are lead by Jannik Sinner while the Netherlands have a strong singles and doubles line-up to pick from. The other two quarter-finals see defending champions Canada take on Finland while Australia face Czech Republic.
The tournament begins on Tuesday, while Great Britain take on Serbia on Thursday at 15:00 GMT with the semi-final taking place on Saturday. The champion of this year’s Davis Cup will be crowned on Sunday.
Team Nominations
Great Britain
- Cameron Norrie
- Jack Draper
- Liam Broady
- Neal Skupski
- Joe Salisbury
- Captain: Leon Smith
Serbia
- Novak Djokovic
- Laslo Djere
- Dusan Lajovic
- Miomir Kecmanovic
- Hamad Medjedovic
- Captain: Viktor Troicki
Italy
- Jannik Sinner
- Lorenzo Musetti
- Matteo Arnaldi
- Lorenzo Sonego
- Simone Bolelli
- Captain: Filippo Volandri
Netherlands
- Tallon Griekspoor
- Botic Van De Zandschulp
- Gijs Brouwer
- Wesley Koolhof
- Jean-Julien Rojer
- Captain: Paul Haarhuis
Canada
- Felix Auger-Aliassime
- Gabriel Diallo
- Alexis Galarneau
- Vasek Pospisil
- Milos Raonic
- Captain: Frank Dancevic
Finland
- Emil Ruusuvuori
- Otto Virtanen
- Patrick Kaukovalta
- Harri Heliovaara
- Patrik Niklas-Salminen
- Captain: Jarkko Nieminen
Australia
- Alex De Minaur
- Alexei Popyrin
- Jordan Thompson
- Max Purcell
- Matthew Ebden
- Captain: Lleyton Hewitt
Czech Republic
- Jiri Lehecka
- Tomas Machac
- Jakub Mensik
- Adam Pavlasek
- Captain: Jaroslav Navratil
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