MADRID, 3 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish Davis Cup team will try to assert their favoritism and seal their ticket to the Finals of the competition without too much trouble against a Romania that will seek to fight on the clay of the Puente Romano Tennis Club in Marbella (Málaga), where almost all eyes will be on the young Carlos Alcaraz.
For the first time under the new format, Spain will have to seek their classification in these ‘Qualifiers’ that matched them with a theoretically affordable rival and with the advantage in addition to being the host. After qualifying directly for the Finals in 2019 and 2020, the national team returns to play a tie at home with all the conditions in favor and on a surface where it has not lost since 1999 against Brazil.
Since then, the Spanish tennis players have won a total of 26 consecutive qualifiers at home, not counting the two final phases that Madrid has hosted, where they had no choice of court and where they were unbeatable in 2019 and where they fell, against Russia, in 2020. Two years ago, Rafa Nadal’s leadership was vital, while a few months ago casualties were an obstacle that Sergi Bruguera’s men could not overcome.
The double winner of Roland Garros continues to lead a team that, despite Nadal’s loss, comes with the best he has left. By ranking, Roberto Bautista and Pablo Carreño, who already formed a good duo in the ATP Cup at the beginning of the year, should be number one and two, but both seem to be ‘devoured’ also by the ‘Alcaraz effect’.
The 18-year-old tennis player from Murcia was already the great attraction a few months ago in the Finals, but then the coronavirus separated him at the last minute from debuting in the Davis Cup. Now, the expectation to see him has grown even more after winning a few weeks ago in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and ascending to the ‘Top 20’ of the world ranking.
That good state of form will allow him to play one of the two singles that will open the tie this Friday. Alcaraz will have to temper the wait because the responsibility will fall on the reliable Roberto Bautista, who will make his debut on red clay after shining in the first part of the campaign on hard court with a title in Doha. His rival will be Gabi Adrian Boitan, 22 years old and 721 in the world, but with little to lose.
Later it will be the turn of Juan Carlos Ferrero’s pupil, who will have been able to convey to him what it means to play this competition where things are even and nerves can play tricks. Alcaraz will face a more experienced player like Marius Copil. The Romanian, 31 years old and number 261 in the world, has 35 Davis Cup matches on his legs, including the one he played against Feliciano López in the 2016 match in Cluj-Napoca and the one he lost in five sets.
If the player from Castellón and the player from Murcia meet the forecasts, Spain will have the opportunity to close their passport to the Finals in the doubles match on Saturday, the day on which the emotional tribute to the late Manolo Santanta will also take place.
At the moment, Bruguera, who lost an expert in this modality such as Marcel Granollers due to injury, initially opted for two other debutants such as Pedro Martínez, substitute for the Catalan, and Alejandro Davidovich, who were already a couple in the ATP Cup to measure themselves against Horia Tecau, 17 in the world in doubles, and Nicolae Frunza. In case the tie is extended that same day with the two remaining singles.