No. 1 Alcaraz to Miss Spain’s Davis Cup Finals Opener

Tennis - Davis Cup - Group B - Spain v Serbia - Pavello Municipal Font de Sant Lluís, Valencia, Spain - September 14, 2022 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz stands with teammates during the national anthem before play. (Reuters)
Tennis - Davis Cup - Group B - Spain v Serbia - Pavello Municipal Font de Sant Lluís, Valencia, Spain - September 14, 2022 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz stands with teammates during the national anthem before play. (Reuters)
TT

No. 1 Alcaraz to Miss Spain’s Davis Cup Finals Opener

Tennis - Davis Cup - Group B - Spain v Serbia - Pavello Municipal Font de Sant Lluís, Valencia, Spain - September 14, 2022 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz stands with teammates during the national anthem before play. (Reuters)
Tennis - Davis Cup - Group B - Spain v Serbia - Pavello Municipal Font de Sant Lluís, Valencia, Spain - September 14, 2022 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz stands with teammates during the national anthem before play. (Reuters)

Top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz will skip the opening round of the Davis Cup Finals on Wednesday, which is taking place only three days after the Spanish teenager won the US Open.

Alcaraz arrived in Valencia a day before Spain was scheduled to face Serbia in the group stage.

Sunday’s victory over Casper Ruud in Sunday’s US Open final saw the 19-year-old Alcaraz become the youngest man to lead the ATP computerized rankings since they began in 1973.

Albert Ramos Viñolas and Roberto Bautista Agut will line up for Spain in the singles matches on Wednesday, with Marcel Granollers and Pedro Martínez in the doubles.

Granollers and Bautista Agut were part of Spain’s victorious Davis Cup team in 2019.

After facing Serbia, which is without Novak Djokovic, Spain will take on Canada on Friday and South Korea on Sunday in Group B. The top two teams in each of the four groups will advance to the quarterfinals, which will be played in November in the southern Spanish city of Málaga.

Three other venues — Bologna, Italy; Hamburg, Germany; and Glasgow, Scotland — are also hosting group matches.



Renard Stresses Importance of Saudi Arabia’s Match against Iraq in Gulf Cup

Renard speaks at the press conference on Friday. (SPA)
Renard speaks at the press conference on Friday. (SPA)
TT

Renard Stresses Importance of Saudi Arabia’s Match against Iraq in Gulf Cup

Renard speaks at the press conference on Friday. (SPA)
Renard speaks at the press conference on Friday. (SPA)

Saudi national football team coach Hervé Renard underlined on Friday the importance of his team's upcoming "challenging and crucial" match against Iraq in the Gulf Cup currently underway in Kuwait.

Winning the match is essential to advancing to the semifinals, he told a press conference.

The teams will clash on Saturday afternoon.

"The Saudi fans consistently support the national team. Although we did not begin the tournament at our usual level, we will strive to bring the Saudi national team to its normal situation," he vowed.

"I concentrate solely on football, analyzing matches and players' performances daily to achieve our objectives," he added.

Meanwhile, Iraqi national team coach Jesus Casas said the match against Saudi Arabia is a chance to evaluate the team's blend of youth and experience.

He emphasized the importance of achieving proper harmony for the team to deliver the best result.

"The last match was disappointing, and all the teams in the tournament are competitive. We do not make excuses; instead, we will concentrate on putting forth a solid performance against the Saudi national team," Casas said.