Lleyton Hewitt’s Australian team will meet old foes Sweden away in a bid to move ta step closer in February to the Davis Cup Final 8.
Melbourne, 3 December 2024 | Glenn Moore, AAP
Australia has been presented with a potentially tricky path to the Davis Cup Final 8 as the team continues its quest for a first trophy since 2003.
With the competition reverting to home-or-away ties rather than a round-robin group stage, Lleyton Hewitt’s team must travel to Sweden for the January 31-February 2 tie, immediately after the Australian Open.
Should they win, they will face Belgium or Chile in the second round for the chance to progress to the Final 8.
That will be played in November in Italy, home of the two-time reigning champions, who have won the right to host the Final 8 for the next three years, replacing Malaga, in Spain. Bologna will be the venue for the 2025 event.
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With the ATP Finals in Turin, and Jannik Sinner the world No.1, Italy – who were given a wildcard to the Final 8 – increasingly appears to be the home of men’s tennis.
Under competition regulations the losing 2024 finalists, the Netherlands, the world No.4, received the second wildcard granting them a bye into the second round of the qualifiers rather than second-ranked Australia, beaten finalists in 2022 and 2023, and a semifinalist this year.
The tie with Sweden evokes memories of the days when the Sweden and Australia were titans of men’s tennis.
In 1983 and 1986 the two nations met in the final, on the grass of Kooyong, Melbourne. Australia won each time with Pat Cash, John Fitzgerald, Paul McNamee, and (in 1983 only) Mark Edmondson making up the victorious home team.
While Australian men’s tennis is on a resurgence Sweden is far from the powerhouse it was when it won this competition six times from 1984-1998.
Now without a single player in the top 300, though still 20th in the Davis Cup rankings, Sweden reached the qualifiers after defeating India in the World Group.
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Their singles players in that match were their top-ranked pair: Elias Ymer, now world No.329 after dropping 174 places in 2024, and Leo Borg, son of the great Bjorn, at No.546.
The Swedes do have two doubles players in the top 200, Andre Goransson (No.66) and Filip Bergevi (No.124). However, Australia has a battery of top-100 players in singles and doubles and should progress even if Sweden can choose the surface.
The second round is likely to be tricker. Chile, ranked No.16, has two top-40 players, Alejandro Tabilo (No.23) and Nicolas Jarry (No.35). Belgium’s best are David Goffin (No.52) and Zizou Bergs (No.71), but the world No.14 team has the 31st-ranked doubles duo Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen.
This will be played September 12-14, shortly after the US Open, which concludes on September 7.
Among other ties thrown up by Monday’s draw in London, third seed Canada hosts Hungary, fourth seed Germany was drawn against Israel, USA travels to Taiwan, Great Britain goes to Japan and Spain hosts Switzerland.
