Issue link: http://itf.uberflip.com/i/1478901
ITF World Summer 2022 7 DAVIS CUP PREVIEW September serves as an annual watershed for followers of the elite tennis circuit. With the last of the year's Grand Slam champions crowned and the balmy North American hard courts making way for the indoor swings of Europe and Asia, the business ends of the season's Davis Cup by Rakuten and Billie Jean King Cup campaigns come to the fore. In 2022, Davis Cup sees the return of title-chasing ties to its September schedule with a revamped group stage format for the Davis Cup by Rakuten Finals. A streamlined 16-team line-up, a two- month split-step between group action and the knock-outs, and four European hubs each playing host to six ties in as many days for the chance to reach November's eight-nation shoot-out: the evolution of the World Cup of Tennis continues, but the highwire drama of playing in your country's colours in the hope of being crowned World Champions remains the competition's intrinsic visceral thrill. Host cities Bologna, Valencia, Hamburg and Glasgow will each welcome a quartet of intercontinental contenders this month – their respective host nations, plus three rivals – with the top two advancing to the knock-out stage in Malaga, Spain from 22 to 27 November. Twelve of the 16 nations earned their place via the Davis Cup by Rakuten Qualifiers in March; joining them are 2021 finalists Croatia, beaten semi-finalists Serbia, and wildcards Great Britain and Canada. Russian Tennis Federation, winners in 2021, are currently suspended from international team competition following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Squad lists for this first phase of the Finals were announced in August, and while captains retain the right to shuffle their five-player deck in the wake of the US Open, there are eye-catching names across all four groups – starting with Spanish phenom Carlos Alcaraz, the new US Open champion and world No. 1. Already ranked No. 4 before his US Open exploits, Alcaraz downed both Novak Djokovic and compatriot Rafael Nadal en route to an astounding triumph at the Mutua Madrid Open in May, marking the start of his rise to another stratosphere. Hosts Spain will face Serbia, Canada and Korea, Rep. in Valencia; denied his Davis Cup debut by a positive Covid test on the eve of last year's Finals, the 19-year-old already has unfinished business when it comes to Davis Cup. business