Davis Cup: The final act of a (too) long season
The Davis Cup finals in Malaga mark the final act of the tennis year 2022. Just over a month later, the new season begins in Australia.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Nov 22, 2022, 12:03 am
The big names are missing from this year's Davis Cup finals in Malaga. Once again it is clear that the tennis season is simply too long. Since January 1, 2022, the professionals have been fighting for points and bonuses all over the world. On November 27, almost exactly eleven months later, the last major title of the year will be awarded in the Spanish coastal city.
It is therefore hardly surprising that Felix Auger-Aliassime and Taylor Fritz are only two current top ten players. In addition, the Davis Cup no longer has the attractiveness of days gone by, when the competition was still held in a best-of-five format and in front of frenetic home fans.
The main point of criticism, however, remains the overcrowded tournament calendar: Even at the ATP Finals in Turin, the players could see the hardships of the past few months, even the winner Novak Djokovic did not seem at the height of his work. The fact that numerous exhibition fights are held in the off-season - ask Rafael Nadal and Casper Ruud - also leads the whole topic ad absurdum.
It can be assumed that things will be a bit more serious in Malaga than at the exhibitions in South America. Australia and the Netherlands will contest the first quarter-finals on Tuesday, with the German team taking on Croatia a day later. As mentioned at the beginning, the finale will take place on November 27th. The 2023 season begins on December 29 with the United Cup.
+++ All Davis Cup matches are available on SERVUS ON/the German games on Servus TV +++