The 2018 Davis Cup tournament is set to get underway. The competition in the 16-nation World Group event (which doesn’t include the Zone Group playoffs to qualify for the 2019 World Group) begins on Friday, February 2. The quarterfinals will be played in early April, the semifinals in late September, and the final in November.
This marks a new era in the history of the Davis Cup. Individual singles rubbers will move from best-of-five sets to best of three, in an attempt to convince more top players to perform in the tournament.
Event Details
Event: ITF Davis Cup
Category: ITF International Competition
Date: First round: February 2-4, 2018
Quarterfinals: April 6-8, 2018
Semifinals: September 14-16, 2018
Final: November 23-25, 2018
Location: All Davis Cup ties are hosted by one nation, determined by who previously hosted a tie between the two competing nations. Ties always rotate between nations. The eight nations which previously hosted ties in the first-round matchups will play the 2018 ties on the road. The eight nations which previously went on the road in the first-round matchups will play the 2018 ties at home. The process will repeat for each successive round. Example: The last time Switzerland and Kazakhstan played in Davis Cup, the Swiss hosted. Therefore, in this year’s first round, the Kazakhs will host the tie.
Former Champions and Results (5 Years)
Year Champion Runner-up
2017: France def. Belgium
2016: Argentina def. Croatia
2015: Great Britain def. Belgium
2014: Switzerland def. France
2013: Czech Republic def. Serbia
Tournament Bracket – Host Nation Listed First
Top half of bracket (eight nations)
France vs. Netherlands
Japan vs. Italy
Spain vs. Great Britain
Australia vs. Germany
Bottom half of bracket (eight nations)
Kazakhstan vs. Switzerland
Croatia vs. Canada
Serbia vs. United States
Hungary vs. Belgium
Tournament Overview
The French, as the defending champions, got a very manageable draw through the first two rounds. With the Dutch unlikely to win singles matches and Kei Nishikori struggling for Japan, the French should be strong favorites to make the semifinals.
When the semifinals occur, which nation is most likely to play France? That’s more of a wild card. Great Britain can’t rely on Andy Murray, who is still recovering from injury and will have a hard time beating Spain. However, Spain doesn’t have Rafael Nadal. Pablo Carreno Busta will have to carry that team this year. Australia will try to ride Nick Kyrgios, who – in the new best-of-three-set format instituted this year – might benefit more than any other player. Australia, accordingly, could benefit from the change of format more than any other nation.
Switzerland will not have either Roger Federer or Stan Wawrinka for its first-round tie, and Federer will not be part of any ties this year. That makes the Croatia-Canada tie a likely competition to determine one semifinalist in the bottom half of the bracket. The Croatia-Canada tie might depend on how well Denis Shapovalov plays for Canada. He embarrassed himself at Davis Cup last year when he smacked a ball into an official’s face, causing an injury. He credits that moment with turning around his career and making him more focused. Shapovalov could be the difference, but Croatia figures to be a tough out. Milos Raonic still doesn’t look healthy for Canada, and Marin Cilic is in the Australian Open final.
Novak Djokovic is not healthy, so Serbia can’t count on him versus the United States. Djokovic is coming off a very disappointing showing at the Australian Open. He did manage to make a bit of a run but surprisingly lost to Hyeon Chung. He ended up losing in straights sets, indicating that either something is not quite right with his health – as he says – or something is not quite right with his game. This will be an opportunity for him to turn things around.
Belgium will rely on David Goffin to once again carry the team in Davis Cup after leading the nation within one match win of its first championship last year. He’s a player on the rise.
Davis Cup is immensely unpredictable, but an early read of the tournament points to an Australia-Canada final.
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