The silver salad bowl remains the same, but its content will have a new flavor. Born 119 years ago, the Davis Cup launches for this edition 2019 a new format: 18 countries will compete on Monday, November 18 at a world championship spread over a week in a single city.
On the courts, there will be rhythm. The clashes will be picked up in three straight games (2 singles and 1 doubles) instead of 5 in three days (4 singles and 1 doubles), starting with a group stage where each set and even each game will count to decide between teams.
"The best team"
The show begins as it should be with an opening ceremony on Monday. But on the courts, to succeed Croatia who won the last Davis Cup in 2018, the show is likely to be less flamboyant than the dream of the footballer Gérard Piqué. Its investment company Kosmos bought the rights of the competition for $ 3 billion over 25 years.
The density of the French team, finalist last year and led by Gael Monfils (10th worldwide), Benoit Paire (24th), Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (29th), and double Nicolas Mahut - Pierre-Hugues -Herbert, winner of the Masters, makes it a logical candidate for the final victory. "When they are at their best, they are the best team," said French captain Sébastien Grosjean, citing the Mahut-Herbert pair.
Spain with Rafael Nadal and Serbia with Novak Djokovic are also heavily armed. It is also necessary that the world's N.1 and 2, who have fought a battle all season and up to the Masters in London for the title of best player of the year finally snatched by the Majorcan, are not not flat physically.
Their course in London (elimination in the group stage) would suggest that they are no longer in full possession of their means. Djokovic has also complained of a "sharp" pain in the elbow after his defeat in London against Roger Federer. But the Serbian delegation was reassured after training late Sunday afternoon.
Nadal "enchanted"
The Spanish captain Sergi Bruguera, himself, was very optimistic about the shape of Nadal: "Honestly, he is in one of the best periods of his career, he is delighted to play this Davis Cup, he is well and has very wanna play !"
In the absence of Roger Federer (Switzerland is not qualified and the N.3 world has not played the Davis Cup since it won in 2014), Daniil Medvedev (N.4 and exhausted after a particularly grueling season) or Alexander Zverev (N.6), disappointing performances by Rafa and Djoko could cause considerable harm to the competition with the public.
With AFP