Davis Cup: Meet the man set to fill Carlos Alcaraz’s shoes in Spain’s title quest
Action at the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna gets underway on Tuesday, and the event has been blown wide open following one huge announcement.
Despite arriving in Bologna, a hamstring issue means that world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz will not compete for Spain at the Finals this year, the 22-year-old denied the chance to help guide his country to a first Davis Cup title since 2019.
With Alcaraz no longer in their squad, Spain’s chances of lifting the title at the World Cup of men’s tennis have undoubtedly been dented.
However, the six-time Grand Slam champion’s absence means that the rest of the Spanish team will get a greater chance to shine, perhaps no more so than Jaume Munar.
With Alcaraz now out and Spanish No 2 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina choosing to miss the event, world No 36 Munar is now Spain’s highest-ranked singles player in Bologna.
Though the line-ups for Thursday’s quarter-final against Czechia are yet to be confirmed, Munar will likely play a key role for his nation’s hopes of success.
Speaking to Clay and RG Media ahead of action in Bologna, and prior to Alcaraz’s withdrawal, Munar revealed the Davis Cup had been a key influence in his life as a young player.
“It means everything. It’s probably the competition I watched the most while growing up as a young player,” said Munar.
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“I’ve been lucky to share many moments on tour with people who’ve had a lot of success in this competition. I’ve lived it closely in previous years, as a sparring partner, as part of the team one year [2017], although I had less experience then.
“And for me, for many years, being in the national team was a goal. Just being here fills me with indescribable excitement. I dream of whatever comes next.”
Munar may not be the highest-ranked player competing in Bologna over the next few days, though he will perhaps be one of the most confident.
The Spaniard’s ranking of 36th in the world is his career-high, having previously ended 2024 as the world No 62.
A career-best season has seen Munar amass a 30-25 win-loss record for the year, with highlights including a run to the fourth round of the US Open — the first time he has reached the second week of a Slam — and the fourth round of Masters events in Rome and Shanghai.
After discovering the best tennis of his career, Munar believes his Davis Cup call-up will be his “reward” for his success in 2025.
He added: “It’s been an exceptional year for me, more because of the tennis than the numbers or the wins.
“I think I’ve improved in practically every aspect of the game, and I’m simply a better player than I was. The leap has been a bit radical, but the truth is I’ve been working for many years to get here.
“And the Davis Cup is a reward for a fantastic season, a reward not only for me but for everyone working with me, who were also very excited to see me here. I want to start and enjoy it to the fullest.”
With Alcaraz out, Munar is joined by Pedro Martinez, Pablo Carreno Busta, and doubles specialist Marcel Granollers in captain David Ferrer’s team.
Spain will not start their campaign until Thursday, after Tuesday’s quarter-final between France and Belgium, and Wednesday’s clash between Italy and Austria.
Assuming Munar is picked for Spain’s clash against Czechia, he will likely play against Czech No 1 and world No 17 Jiri Lehecka in his singles rubber.
The winner of Spain and Czechia’s quarter-final will face either Germany or Argentina in the semi-final on Saturday.
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