Davis Cup: Spain may need Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz after devilish draw

Spain have been plunged into the ‘Group of Death’ after the draw for the Davis Cup Finals Group stage, meaning coach David Ferrer may need his big-hitters to step forward for the ties in September.

After missing out on a place in the finals in Malaga last year, Spain need to come through a group featuring a powerful Australia team, as well as a strong Czech Republic side and a potent France line-up to avoid missing out for a second year.

Australia captain Lleyton Hewett has a strong line-up to select from and is team has been Davis Cup runner-up over the last two years, losing out to Italy in last year’s final that was dominated by an inspired Jannik Sinner.

Alex de Minaur will lead the Australian charge in a group that will feature a Czech team that won all their matches at this stage of last year’s Davis Cup.

Spain will also take on France, who have 10 players in the top 100 of the ATP rankings and are always a threat in the Davis Cup.

“I think that David (Ferrer) won’t be very happy!” said Davis Cup Finals Tournament Director Feliciano Lopez, who is a former Spain player.

“The group in Valencia seems to be the strongest one with Australia, Spain, France and Czechia. Not very good news for Spain, but I think they have a good chance to qualify for Malaga this time.

“It’s very difficult to say which nations will qualify for Malaga. I’m just looking forward to another great week for tennis, with a lot of passion and excitement and I’m hoping to welcome people from different nations in the world who are competing in Malaga. I think that is what Davis Cup is all about.”

READ MORE: Carlos Alcaraz hailed for ‘chasing Rafael Nadal’ by pundits as injury concern highlighted

World No 2 Alcaraz has not played for Spain since 2022, while Nadal has not been part of the Spain Davis Cup line-up since 2019.

The chances of both of them playing in ties that will be played shortly after the US Open in September appears to be a long shot, but Spain captain Ferrer will be eager to ensure his team find a way to get through to the finals that will be played on home soil in Malaga once again in November.

Meanwhile, Great Britain will play Canada, Finland and Argentina in the group stage of the Davis Cup Finals in Manchester.

Leon Smith’s side will hope for a less nail-biting conclusion than in the same city last year, when Dan Evans and Neal Skupski saved match points to beat France in the deciding match in front of a jubilant record crowd, and the draw appears to have been relatively kind.

Canada, led by Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov, were champions in 2022 but lacked strength in depth.

Finland were last year’s surprise package, making it through to the semi-finals for the first time, while Argentina boast three top-30 players, but indoor hard courts should favour Britain.

The ties will take place at the AO Arena from September 10 to 15, with the top two teams progressing to November’s Final Eight event.

Having beaten France, Australia and Switzerland last year, Britain fell at the first hurdle in Malaga, losing out to Novak Djokovic’s Serbia.

Defending champions Italy will host a group in Bologna also featuring the Netherlands, Belgium and Brazil, while the final group, containing Germany, USA, Slovakia and Chile, will take place in the Chinese city of Zhuhai.