Canada to run back successful lineup for Davis Cup Final 8 in November

Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime will lead the Canadian team into the Davis Cup Final 8, with Frank Dancevic returning as captain.

Auger-Aliassime will once again be joined by Denis Shapovalov, of Richmond Hill, Ont., Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo, Alexis Galarneau, of Laval, Que., and Vasek Pospisil of Vernon, B.C., in the event taking place, Nov. 19-24 in Malaga, Spain.

It’s the same squad that posted a 7-2 match record during the tournament’s group stage in Manchester, England, earlier this month.

Canada, which won the tournament in 2022, will meet three-time champion Germany in the quarterfinals in Spain.

Defending champion Italy will play Argentina, the United States will meet Australia and Spain will take on the Netherlands.

“This group has shown time and again that it can compete at the highest level,” Dancevic said. “It’s the same five players that brought home the Davis Cup trophy for the very first time in 2022 and enjoyed a great week in Manchester to seal our place in this year’s quarterfinals. So, we will head to Malaga knowing we have tough matches ahead of us, but with confidence that we can reach our goal.”

Auger-Aliassime, ranked 21st in the world by the ATP, will represent Canada for the eighth time in the Davis Cup, where he boasts a career record of 13 wins and 4 losses.

Shapovalov will make his 11th appearance in the Davis Cup, with a record of 18 wins and 10 losses.

Diallo, the youngest team member at 22, will participate in the Davis Cup for the seventh time, while Galarneau, 25, has been named to the Canadian team for the eighth time.

The 34-year-old Pospisil, the second most prolific Canadian in Davis Cup history, will represent the country for the 28th time, entering Malaga with a record of 32 wins and 27 losses in 34 career ties.

Nadal, Alcaraz front Spanish roster

Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz were named to Spain’s roster for the Davis Cup Finals, raising the possibility of a renewal of their ” Nadalcaraz ” doubles partnership from the Paris Olympics.

Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion who is 38, hasn’t competed anywhere since the Paris Games, where he lost in the second round of singles to longtime rival Novak Djokovic and paired with Alcaraz to get to the quarterfinals of men’s doubles before exiting against Americans Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.

Nadal then withdrew from the U.S. Open and the Laver Cup while still dealing with health issues that have limited him to competing only sparingly over the past two seasons.

Alcaraz earned the men’s singles titles at the French Open in June and Wimbledon in July to raise his career total to four at the age of 21.

Spain will take on the Netherlands in the quarterfinal round.

Italy will be led by No. 1-ranked Jannik Sinner, who won the Australian Open in January and the U.S. Open this month. The Italian roster also includes Lorenzo Musetti, a semifinalist at Wimbledon and bronze medalist at the Olympics.

The Italy-Argentina winner will face the U.S.-Australia winner in the semifinals, with the winners of Germany-Canada and Netherlands-Spain meeting in the other semifinal.

Italy won its first Davis Cup title since 1976 a year ago in Malaga.