ISLAMABAD:The ITF has announced that the 2023 Davis Cup Finals Group D would be hosted in Split, Croatia.
Matches would be played at the Arena Gripe Sports Centre, with play commencing at 3 pm CET each day. All Davis Cup Finals ties are played on hard indoor courts, said a press release issued here.
The 2022 quarter-finalists Netherlands and Finals debutants Finland were scheduled to meet in the first tie of the week on September 12. Host nation Croatia would compete against the USA on Wednesday, against Finland on Friday, and against the Netherlands on Sunday.
The full schedule of play for Group D is as follows- September 12: Netherlands v Finland (7th Davis Cup meeting; Netherlands lead rivalry 6-0); September 13: Croatia v USA (6th Davis Cup meeting; Croatia lead rivalry 5-0); September 14: Netherlands v USA (4th Davis Cup meeting; the USA lead rivalry 2-1); September 15: Croatia v Finland (2nd Davis Cup meeting; Finland lead rivalry 1-0); September 16: USA v Finland (first Davis Cup meeting); September 17: Croatia v Netherlands (2nd Davis Cup meeting; Croatia lead rivalry 1-0).
The Group Stage events would be played in a round-robin format. The top two teams from each would advance to the 2023 Davis Cup Final 8 in Malaga, Spain on November 21-26, where the eight best teams in the world will play in a knockout competition for the right to be crowned World Champion.
In addition to Group D in Split, Group A (Canada, Italy, Sweden, and Chile) would take place in Bologna, Group B (Australia, Great Britain, France, and Switzerland) will take place in Manchester, and Group C (Spain, Serbia, Czechia and Korea, Rep.) will take place in Valencia.
The Davis Cup Finals and Qualifiers were now an official part of the ATP Tour calendar after the ITF and ATP established a new strategic collaboration on the competition’s governance in 2022.
David Haggerty, ITF President, said, “This is a fascinating stage of the competition, with 16 teams fighting it out for a place in the knockout Final 8 in Malaga in November. It is sure to produce memorable moments and to bring out the best in the world’s elite men’s players as they represent their countries with pride.”
Nikolina Babic, President of the Croatian Tennis Association, said, “It will be a thrilling experience for players, teams but also tennis fans from the USA, Finland, and the Netherlands. It is also a great opportunity for Croatian fans to attend such high-quality ties at home and I don’t need to underline how important it is for the unique Davis Cup atmosphere.”