Final 8, Malaga, Sinner: Everything you always wanted to know about the 2023 Davis Cup (but never had time to find out) – updated after Italy’s title

Here is everything you could possibly want to know about the forthcoming Davis Cup finals

Italy celebrate reaching the 2023 Davis Cup Final 8 (Zuma/Panoramic)

November 26, 2023

Who is in the Final of the 2023 Davis Cup?

The final of the 2023 Davis Cup will be between Australia and Italy. Australia beat Finland 2-0 to reach the final for the second year in a row while Italy edged out Serbia 2-1 to make the final for the first time since 1998.

What has happened so far at the 2023 Davis Cup final 8?

Day 1 at the 2023 Davis Cup Fial 8 saw Finland take on defending champions Canada in the first of the four quarter-finals in Malaga. Milos Raonic gave the Canadians a 1-0 lead courtesy of his 6-3, 7-5 win over Patrick Kaukovalta, before Finland fought back to level the tie as Otto Virtanen beat Gabriel Diallo 6-4, 7-5. The comeback was then completed by Vitranen and Heliovaara when they beat Canadian pair Galarneau and Pospisil in the deciding doubles match to send the Finns through the their first Davis Cup semi-final.

Day 2 resulted another comeback win, as last year’s runners-up Australia fought back from 1-0 down to progress 2-1. Tomas Machac opened the day by beating Jordan Thompson 6-4, 7-5, before De Minaur edged a tight encounter with Jiri Lehecka 4-6, 7-6(2), 7-5 to draw the Aussies level. Ebden and Purcell then won in straight sets against Lehecka and Pavlasek to seal the win.

Day 3 saw Alex de Minaur and Alexei Popyrin win their singles matches as Australia beat Finland 2-0 to reach the final for the second year in a row.

Day 4 will be remembered for a classic battle between Italy and Serbia, with the Italians coming out on top 2-1. Miomir Kecmanovic beat Lorenzo Musetti to put Serbia ahead but Jannik Sinner saved three match points in beating Novak Djokovic to level the tie and then teamed up with Lorenzo Sonego to beat Djokovic and Kecmanovic in the doubles to secure the win.

Day 5 was a more routine affair, as Italy was simply too good for Australia. The opening rubber was a thriller, with Italian Matteo Arnaldi outlasting Aussie Alexei Popyrin 7-5, 2-6, 6-4. Sinner won the clincher with easy, defeating De Minaur 6-3, 6-0.

It was Italy’s second Davis Cup title and first since 1976.

Where WAS the Final of the 2023 Davis Cup beING played?

The final of the 2023 Davis Cup was played at the Palacia Deportes Martin Carpena in Malaga, Spain.

Who won the Davis Cup in 2022?

Canada won the Davis Cup in 2022, beating Australia in the final.

What’s the history of the Davis Cup?

The Davis Cup is the oldest and most prestigious team competition in men’s tennis, played annually, towards the end of the year. The first official Davis Cup match was held in 1900, between the United States and Great Britain at the Longwood Cricket Club in Boston, Massachusetts, resulting in a win for the hosts. Initially called the International Lawn Tennis Challenge, it was later named after Dwight Davis, the American player who came up with the idea.

Has the Davis Cup always had the same format?

The Davis Cup has not always had the same format, and the changes it’s experienced in the last few years have been very controversial. In 2019, the Davis Cup changed to an 18-team event, held in one week at the end of the season, under the auspices of Kosmos Tennis – a venture backed by Spanish footballer Gerard Piqué. In 2021 it was expanded to 11 days.

However, in January 2023, the ITF announced that they were ending their arrangement with Kosmos, and that they would be running this year’s competition alone.

Up until 2019, matches were played over the best of five sets. The introduction of best-of-three was intended to encourage more top players to commit to the event.

Before that, the Davis Cup was initially played as a Challenge Cup, with teams competing with each other to be able to challenge the holder. In 1972, it became a knockout event, with the defending champion also competing throughout. In 1981, a system of tiered groups were created, below the World Group, where the elite nations competed for the trophy.

Which player has the most Davis Cup match wins?

Italy’s Nicola Pietrangeli holds the record for most wins in both singles and doubles, having played 164 matches for Italy in 66 ties. His singles match record is 78-32 and his doubles match record is 42-12. He also forms half of the most successful Davis Cup doubles partnership with Orlando Sirola, the pair winning 34 of their 42 doubles matches.