Tennis: Davis Cup Betting Odds – Spain Among Favorites

Davis Cup betting odds are about to receive a boost with the arrival of US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz in Valencia this week, as Spain readies to open its bid for the Davis Cup at the Pabellon Municipal Fuente de San Luis.

Spain’s skipper Sergi Bruguera confirmed the 19-year-old and newly-minted World No.1 Alcaraz is expected to arrive on Tuesday and lead Spain’s Davis Cup tennis campaign.

“He’s going to come here on Tuesday, and hopefully he can recover as soon as possible to play,” said Bruguera in team Spain’s pre-event press conference in Valencia.

Alcaraz’ contribution will be key for Spain, especially with Rafael Nadal already previously confirming he would be skipping the event.

Spain is contained in Group B, which includes The Republic of Korea, Canada, and Serbia. Spain, tipped as the favorite to win this group on the tennis odds board, is seeking to reach the Final 8 due to take place in Malaga in November.

Serbia Dealt Huge Blow with Djokovic’s Withdrawal

Former World No.1 Novak Djokovic was expected to lead Serbia’s charge this week in Valencia, but the Serbian star withdrew from the tournament for “personal reasons.”

Djokovic’s withdrawal is a huge blow and Serbia’s Davis Cup betting odds have taken a nosedive since, underscoring his value to the team in tennis betting markets.

Team captain Viktor Troicki told Sportski Zurnal (Serbian Sports News/Journal), “Nole will not play for personal reasons. It’s his personal matter. Simply, this time he will be prevented from playing, but he will join the national team if we qualify for the final tournament in Malaga in November.”

The 35-year-old Serb has had a stormy year largely due to his unvaccinated status. He missed the Australian Open after he was unceremoniously and publicly deported a day before the tournament got underway.

He missed all the big events in North America up to this point as well, from the Sunshine Double in March — Indian Wells and Miami Masters —  to the Toronto and Cincinnati Masters and, most recently, the US Open.

Djokovic’s lone success this year came at Wimbledon where he picked up his 21^st Grand Slam title to close the gap on his rival 22-time Grand Slam champion Nadal in the history books.

In Djokovic’s absence, Miomir Kecmanovic, Filip Krajinovic, Laslo Djere, Dusan Lajovic, and Nikola Cacic will fly the Serbian flag according to Troicki.

Zverev Injury Setback, Pulls Out of Davis Cup

Germany’s No.1 Alexander Zverev was expected to return to action for his country in this week’s Davis Cup tournament in Hamburg, but an injury setback has forced the German star to withdraw.

Zverev announced that he has a bone injury that could sideline him for ”weeks or months.” The 25-year-old suffered ankle ligament damage during his semi-final against Nadal at the French Open and he hasn’t played since.

Captain Michael Kohlmann isn’t going to downplay Zverev’s absence. He openly admitted that “if you lose one of the best players in the world from your team then it’s a big blow, absolutely.” But he drew on past experiences in similar situations and believes his team is still good enough to get to the next round.

Germany headlines Group C which includes France, Australia, and Belgium. With Zverev’s withdrawal, the Davis Cup Betting odds in this section are relatively wide open.

USA and GB hope to Advance from Group D

The USA and Great Britain hope to emerge out of Group D, which includes the Netherlands and Kazakhstan. Indeed, they’re the top two favorites in this section which is set to play in Glasgow this week.

Team USA will be led by interim Captain Bob Bryan, who replaces Mardy Fish after the former tennis pro contracted Covid-19. Bryan will have his work cut out with less than a week to prepare, but the Americans have depth and talent on their side.

Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, and Jack Sock are just some of the Americans hoping to fly the country’s flag at the Emirates Stadium in Glasgow.

Great Britain’s chances of reaching the quarterfinals will rest on the shoulders of Cameron Norrie, Andy Murray, Daniel Evans, and Doubles No.1 Joe Salisbury.

Group A, the Group of Death

Italy, Croatia, Sweden, and Argentina are drawn into Group A, which is arguably the toughest group of the Davis Cup tournament.

The Italians are loaded with NexGen Stars including Jannik Sinner, who is coming off an epic five-set marathon loss to Alcaraz at the US Open. Lorenzo Musetti and Lorenzo Sonego will be joining Sinner in Bologna where the Italians will be looking to bank on home turf advantage to advance into the quarterfinals.

Davis Cup action will take place in host cities Bologna, Glasgow, Hamburg, and Valencia. The top two teams from each of the four groups progress to the quarter-finals in Spain later in the year. Davis Cup group matches are scheduled to take place between September 13-18.