Not Nadal when Spain starts defending the championship

Spain is set to start defending the title in the Davis Cup final without Rafael Nadal, and all eyes will be on the teenager, who will be advertised as his heir.

Carlos Alcaraz, 18, is attracting attention as Spain play against Ecuador on Friday. Spain wants to win again two years after winning the opening race of the renewed United Nations competition. The tournament was not played in 2020 due to a coronavirus pandemic.

Debut

Alcaraz, who will be in the next-generation ATP final title, will make his first appearance in the Davis Cup alongside Pablo Carreno Busta and Albert Ramos-Vinolas, both over 10 years older. Alcaraz wasn’t even born when another member of the Spanish team, 40-year-old Feliciano Lopez, started playing on tour.

“It’s a dream come true for me to be here,” No. 32 Alcaraz said Wednesday.

“I’ve been watching this tournament since I was a kid and I’ve always wanted to be here to represent my country, so I’m really excited to be with the team.”

Left foot injury

Nadal remained undefeated in doubles and doubles when Spain won the championship in 2019, but the 20-time Grand Slam champion will not play this year due to a left-foot injury that ended his season early.

“It’s true that we had a big advantage. If you have Nadal on your team, you’re the favorite right away because he’s the best player in Davis Cup history, Spanish captain Sergi Bruguera said.

Alcaraz is about to end an impressive season that included a semi-final match at the US Open and wins over top10 players Stefanos Tsitsipaks and Matteo Berrettin.

Bruguera said Alcaraz has helped bring new life to the team with his brilliant character.

“Carlos is an incredibly nice guy, he’s very humble,” Bruguera said.

“And he’s adapting very well. He’s happy. The veterans are already very good friends and Carlos is like fresh air on the team. That’s nice.”

Hard task

However, Spain faces a difficult task in trying to keep its title, as the second team in Group A is the Russian team with two top10 players in 2nd Daniil Medvedev and 5th Andrey Rublev. The team also includes Olympic silver winner Karen Khachanov and the 2021 Australian Open semi-finalist Aslan Karatsev.

During the event, Russia will be called the Russian Tennis Federation (RTF) due to the ongoing ban on doping in international sports.

“It’s the strongest team,” Bruguera said. “It’s the most perfect team where Medvedev is probably at his best right now, so it’s our toughest competitor.”

The Spanish team got hit when 19. Roberto Bautista Agut had to replace 45. Ramos-Vinolas at the last minute due to a stomach injury.