Davis Cup: why not the UK?
The first phase of the final round of the Davis Cup 2021 begins today. The Czech Republic and France will meet in Innsbruck (live from 4 pm on servustv.com). Great Britain should be favorite in the group though.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Nov 24, 2021, 06:28 pm
When the venues for the Davis Cup final round were assigned in summer 2021, Cameron Norrie had just celebrated his first tournament victory on the ATP tour, namely in Los Cabos. A very respectable 250 event, the winners of which are rarely eligible for a place at the ATP Finals. Norrie didn't manage to do that, despite the surprising triumph in Indian Wells that followed in autumn, but the 26-year-old left-hander was allowed to play as a substitute in Turin.
So it's a bit of a shame for Norrie that the British are fighting in Innsbruck to get through to Madrid. Especially since the conditions are reportedly quite different: The Center Court in Turin, on which the game Australia against Croatia will also kick off from today, should be able to be played a lot faster than the one in Innsbruck. It's good for Norrie that he won't play with the British team against France until Saturday from 10 a.m. (live on stream at servustv.com). So there is enough time to get used to.
Norrie has no chance against Djokovic
The British only came to Innsbruck with four men for the time being, but team boss Leon Smith could not compensate for short-term failures on the individual side, which is occupied by Daniel Evans in addition to Norrie. Neal Skupski and especially Joe Salisbury are proven double experts, but winning points on the court alone would be a miracle.
Nevertheless: Cameron Norrie is to be favored both against Jiri Vesely, the number one of the Czechs, and against Arthur Rinderknech, the nominally best French. The same applies to Dan Evans against Richard Gasquet and Thomas Machac. And if only one of the two Britons strikes in the singles, the chances for Salisbury / Skupski are good in any case: Even against the French, where the ATP Finals champions Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut are ready for the doubles.
So the favorite role in this group lies with the British. But who would then have to take a very high hurdle on the way to Madrid: Serbia with Novak Djokovic, who in turn are clearly number one in Group F with Austria and Germany. And that would not be good news for Cameron Norrie - because in the finals he only won three games against Djokovic.
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