Davis Cup: Canada receives wildcard, Austria gets nothing
As the ITF announced on Thursday, Canada will replace Russia in the Davis Cup group stage. Austria will therefore play against relegation in September.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Mar 17, 2022, 06:23 pm
Since Thursday not only the four venues for the Davis Cup group phase have been determined, but also the 16 participants for those. Until the very end, there was a question mark behind the last starter after Russia's suspension, as the International Tennis Federation (ITF) has now announced, Canada received the wildcard that had become free.
The North Americans lost 4-0 in the Netherlands in qualifying but were unable to count on the services of Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov. How dangerous the Canadians can be with their two top players was demonstrated by their victory at this year's ATP Cup.
Thiem in September?
Austria, on the other hand, was left empty-handed when it came to the wildcard award and therefore has to Play in the play-off against relegation to World Group I in September. Captain Jürgen Melzer's team lost 3-1 to South Korea in the qualifying round in March .
Who the Austrians will meet in September is currently just as unclear as Dominic Thiem's possible participation. The Lichtenwörther made his last appearance in the red-white-red Davis Cup dress in 2019 during a guest appearance in Finland.