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Davis Cup 2024: Meet the opponents set to take on the Brits in Manchester
• 3 MINUTE READ
The Lexus Great Britain Davis Cup team will soon be heading to Manchester for this year's Davis Cup Finals Group Stages.
The Brits have been drawn in Group D and will face Finland, Canada and Argentina in a bid to reach the Davis Cup Final 8 in Malaga in November.
With a week's worth of world-class tennis on the horizon, here's everything you need to know about Great Britain's opponents:
Finland
World ranking: 10
Team:
- Emil Ruusuvouri (world No.85)
- Otto Virtanen (world No.125)
- Harri Heliovaara (world No.11 – doubles)
- Patrik Niklas-Salminen (world No.102 - doubles)
- Captain: Jarkko Nieminen
History: Finland made their Davis Cup debut back in 1928. They are yet to win the Davis Cup title, but recorded their best performance last year after they won four of the six ties they contested to reach the semi-finals in Malaga.
2023 performance: After defeating the USA and Croatia in last year’s Group Stages, Finland headed to Malaga where they knocked out reigning champions Canada in a 2-1 win. In the semi-finals, they lost out in a 2-0 defeat to eventual runners-up Australia.
Journey to the finals: Finland hosted Portugal for the 2024 Davis Cup Qualifiers where they beat the visitors 3-1, thanks to singles victories for Otto Virtanen and Emil Ruusuvuori and Ruusuvuori and Harri Heliovaara in the doubles.
Players to watch: Finland will pose a strong threat in the doubles, with the addition of world No.11 Harri Heliovaara in their team. Heliovaara made headlines over the summer after he teamed up with Britian’s Henry Patten to list their first Grand Slam title together at Wimbledon, defeating Australian duo Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson in the match-deciding tie-break. Heliovaara has also claimed two additional ATP titles in Lyon and Marrakech.
Argentina
World ranking: 20
Team:
- Sebastian Baez (world No.23)
- Francisco Cerundolo (world No.29)
- Tomas Martin Etcheverry (world No.33)
- Andres Molteni (world No.30 - doubles)
- Maximo Gonzalez (world No.33 – doubles)
- Captain: Guillermo Coria
History: Argentina lifted their first Davis Cup crown back in 2016 where they ousted Croatia in the final. They have also finished runners-up on four occasions (1981, 2006, 2008, 2011).
2023 performance: Following three defeats in the 2022 Group Stages, Argentina dropped down to World Group I last year, where they earned a 4-0 over Lithuania to give them the chance to compete in the 2024 Qualifiers.
Journey to the finals: In the Qualifiers, Argentina edged a tight contest against Kazakhstan 3-2 to punch their ticket to September’s Group Stages in Manchester
Players to watch: Sebastian Baez has embarked on a stellar year so far that has led him to two ATP titles on the clay in Rio (ATP 500) and Santiago (ATP 250) and a career-high ranking of world No.18. Alongside his title-winning success, Baez also caused an upset over 12 seed Holger Rune at the Masters 1000 event in Rome and reached the round of 16 at the Paris Olympics, before falling short to Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Another one to watch out for is Francisco Cerundolo who lifted his third ATP title at the end of July in Umag. During his run to the trophy, Cerundolo downed Lorenzo Sonego, ninth seed Andrey Rublev and Paris Olympics bronze medallist Lorenzo Musetti to clinch the ATP 250 crown – proving he can beat the world’s best players in the big pressure moments.
Canada
World ranking: 3
Team:
- Felix Auger-Aliassime (world No.19)
- Denis Shapovalov (world No.105)
- Gabriel Diallo (world No.143)
- Milos Raonic (world No.228)
- Vasek Pospisil (world No.612)
- Captain: Frank Dancevic
History: Canada took home their first Davis Cup title back in 2022 after defeating Australia 2-0 in the final. Denis Shapovalov defeated Thanasi Kokkinakis in straight sets before Felix Auger-Aliassime sealed the world title with a win over Alex de Minaur.
2023 performance: After being crowned champions the previous year, Canada earned direct entry to the 2023 Group Stages where they clinched wins over Italy, Sweden and Chile to qualify for the Final 8 in Malaga. There, they lost out in the quarter-finals to Finland, 2-1.
Journey to the finals: Back in February, Canada hosted Korea, Rep for the Davis Cup Qualifiers where they earned a 3-1 win to qualify for the Finals Group Stage.
Players to watch: World No.19 Felix Auger-Aliassime always rises to the occasion when playing for his country. The 24-year-old played a vital role in guiding Canada to their first Davis Cup title two years ago, with the youngster winning seven of his eight rubbers from the Group Stages all the way to the Final. It’s been a turbulent year for Auger-Aliassime who has struggled to find consistent form, but enjoyed a highlight back in May when he finished runner-up at the Madrid Open and will be looking to channel his best tennis ahead of the Group Stages.
Meanwhile, one of Canada’s most experienced players, Milos Raonic, will be Manchester bound. The 33-year-old currently shares the record for the most amount of Davis Cup wins for Canada, with an impressive 17 wins to 5 losses. 2023 saw Raonic make his first appearance at the tournament since 2018 where he bounced back to action with straight sets win over Patrick Kaukovalta.
Buy your tickets to back the Brits in Manchester
Book your tickets to see Great Britain take on Finland, Argentina and Canada at the AO Arena in Manchester between 9-15 September - tickets start at just £10 for adults and £5 for children.