The Group stage of the Davis Cup begins in Valencia for a Spanish team that participates without Carlos Alcaraz but that trusts in its options to finish among the first two in group C to obtain a ticket for the Final Eight in Malaga. The challenge will be complicated, since among the rivals is Serbia, led by Novak Djokovic. The other adversaries are the Czech Republic and South Korea.

David Ferrer, who will be captain of the Spanish team for the first time in Valencia, has given the leadership of the team to Alejandro Davidovich. “I really want to get on the court because it is a dream that I have had since I was little and also to be able to play at home,” says the tennis player.. The rest of the Spanish team is made up of Roberto Bautista (he will return to compete after seven weeks out), Bernabé Zapata, Albert Ramos (replaced Alcaraz's absence) and Marcel Granollers, reports Efe.

The group stage started yesterday with the confrontation between South Korea and a Serbia that will not be able to count on Djokovic, who on Monday is still in New York attending to publicity and media commitments after winning the United States Open. his 24th Grand Slam.

The Czechs, “very dangerous”

Spain debuts today against the Czech Republic, in a match that, a priori, seems decisive to obtain one of the first two places in the group. The Czechs have in their team tennis players that Ferrer described as “very dangerous”, such as Jiri Lehecka and Adam Pavlasek, who will play the two singles matches in a team that is completed by Tomas Machac, Jakub Mensik. The big duel in this group will come on Friday with the confrontation between Spain and Serbia, in which, in all likelihood, the Balkan team will already be able to count on Djokovic in a team also made up of Laslo Djere, Miomir Kecmanovic, Dusan Lajovic and Hamad Medjedovic.

The Spanish team will conclude its participation on Sunday against South Korea, the least powerful rival in the group, which has Soonwoo Kwon, a very competitive player, as he demonstrated last year in Valencia by defeating the Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime. The Asians complete their team with Yun Seong Chung, Seongchan Hong, Jisung Nam and Minkyu Song.

The meetings begin each day at 3:00 p.m.. Three matches are played every day: two singles and one doubles.