Australia attracts outdated rival Sweden in Davis Cup tie | 3 December, 2024 | All Information | Information and Options | Information and Occasions

Lleyton Hewitt’s Australian crew will meet outdated foes Sweden away in a bid to maneuver ta step nearer in February to the Davis Cup Ultimate 8.

Melbourne, 3 December 2024 | Glenn Moore, AAP

Australia has been offered with a doubtlessly difficult path to the Davis Cup Ultimate 8 because the crew continues its quest for a primary trophy since 2003.

With the competitors reverting to home-or-away ties somewhat than a round-robin group stage, Lleyton Hewitt’s crew should journey to Sweden for the January 31-February 2 tie, instantly after the Australian Open.

Ought to they win, they’ll face Belgium or Chile within the second spherical for the possibility to progress to the Ultimate 8.

That will probably be performed in November in Italy, residence of the two-time reigning champions, who’ve received the suitable to host the Ultimate 8 for the following three years, changing Malaga, in Spain. Bologna would be the venue for the 2025 occasion.

Pleased with this crew 💚💛

Three-consecutive @DavisCup semifinals. Simply not our day at present.

Bravo, Italy 👏 pic.twitter.com/3u2WTGVtPI

— TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia) November 23, 2024

With the ATP Finals in Turin, and Jannik Sinner the world No.1, Italy – who got a wildcard to the Ultimate 8 – more and more seems to be the house of males’s tennis.

Beneath competitors laws the shedding 2024 finalists, the Netherlands, the world No.4, obtained the second wildcard granting them a bye into the second spherical of the qualifiers somewhat than second-ranked Australia, overwhelmed finalists in 2022 and 2023, and a semifinalist this yr.

The tie with Sweden evokes reminiscences of the times when the Sweden and Australia have been titans of males’s tennis.

In 1983 and 1986 the 2 nations met within the closing, on the grass of Kooyong, Melbourne. Australia received every time with Pat Money, John Fitzgerald, Paul McNamee, and (in 1983 solely) Mark Edmondson making up the victorious residence crew.

Whereas Australian males’s tennis is on a resurgence Sweden is way from the powerhouse it was when it received this competitors six instances from 1984-1998.

Now and not using a single participant within the high 300, although nonetheless twentieth within the Davis Cup rankings, Sweden reached the qualifiers after defeating India within the World Group.

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Their singles gamers in that match have been their top-ranked pair: Elias Ymer, now world No.329 after dropping 174 locations in 2024, and Leo Borg, son of the nice Bjorn, at No.546.

The Swedes do have two doubles gamers within the high 200, Andre Goransson (No.66) and Filip Bergevi (No.124). Nonetheless, Australia has a battery of top-100 gamers in singles and doubles and will progress even when Sweden can select the floor.

The second spherical is prone to be tricker. Chile, ranked No.16, has two top-40 gamers, Alejandro Tabilo (No.23) and Nicolas Jarry (No.35). Belgium’s greatest are David Goffin (No.52) and Zizou Bergs (No.71), however the world No.14 crew has the Thirty first-ranked doubles duo Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen.

This will probably be performed September 12-14, shortly after the US Open, which concludes on September 7.

Amongst different ties thrown up by Monday’s attract London, third seed Canada hosts Hungary, fourth seed Germany was drawn towards Israel, USA travels to Taiwan, Nice Britain goes to Japan and Spain hosts Switzerland.