Davis Cup Preview

The Davis Cup is the world team competition contested each year to see which country has the best team. The Davis Cup is held 4 different weekends spread throughout the year. This coming weekend features the main draw semifinals and the world group playoffs. The world group playoffs determine which 16 teams are in next years main draw. Each world group playoff tie features 1 team that lost in the first round of this year's main draw against a team that qualified from their continental qualifying.

Each Davis Cup tie consists of 5 rubbers (matches). On Friday, 2 singles matches will be played. The typical format is that Team A's best player plays Team B's second best player and vise versa. On Saturday, there is 1 doubles match. On Sunday, the reverse singles are played. Usually the top players from each team play first, followed by the 2nd best players playing each other. Teams may use all 4 players that they nominate, but it is not mandatory. You usually see teams with less depth use 3 players or even 2. Switzerland is known for using 2 when Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka play together. Teams like Spain with lots of depth usually utilize all 4 players (2 players play 2 singles matches, 2 players play doubles together).

In this years semifinals, Canada will be on the road taking on Serbia and Argentina will take on the defending champions in the Czech Republic.

Serbia will be lead by World Number 1 (for now) Novak Djokovic, while also featuring Janko Tipsarevic, Dusan  Lajovic and doubles specialist Nenad Zimonjic. It is a mystery why Ilija Bozoljac, who was arguably the hero in the tie versus the US, wasn't nominated to play.

Canada will be challenging the Serbs with a lineup featuring Milos Raonic, upcoming star Vasek Pospisil, Frank Devancic and doubles specialist Daniel Nestor. Devancic most likely will not play despite being nominated. Nestor and Zimonjic were the top ranked doubles team a few years ago before they split up.

Argentina will be taking on the defending champions without their best singles player Juan Martin Del Potro. Without him, their lineup features Juan Monaco, Carlos Berlocq, Horacio Zeballos and Leonardo Mayer. Zeballos is one of three players to defeat Rafael Nadal this year.

After beating Spain last year in the final, the Czech Republic will have Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek leading the way, accompanied by Lukas Rosol and Jiri Vesely. Rosol and Vesely most likely won't play, as the Czech's like using 2 men if possible.

These are intriguing matchups, here are my picks for the team consensus:
Serbia vs. Canada
Argentina vs. Czech Republic

For the World Group Playoffs, Andy Murray will be looking to put Great Britain in the main draw in a few years and Rafael Nadal will be looking to keep Spain in the main draw, after losing to Canada in the first round without him.

Here are the matchups and my picks (Home Team listed first):
Spain vs. Ukraine
Netherlands vs. Austria
Croatia vs. Great Britain
Switzerland vs. Ecuador
Germany vs. Brazil
Poland vs. Australia
Belgium vs. Israel
Japan vs. Colombia

I will have individual selections on Thursday.

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