Tennis’ premier international team event returns with a bang this week as 16 of the world’s best tennis-playing nations lock horns in the first round of the World Group of the Davis Cup. Last season, it was Switzerland who took home the championship, beating France in the final, 3-1, to grab its first ever Davis Cup title.
Can the Swiss go back-to-back this year? Or will another team emerge triumphant this time around? Read on below as we breakdown the favorites for this prestigious tournament as well as our picks for the eight World Group first-round ties. There is plenty more to dig into if you’re looking for sports action this weekend, as college basketball enters the home stretch ahead of March Madness and Major League Soccer kicks off its new season on Friday night.
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2015 Davis Cup Betting Preview
Favorites – Serbia and France
Although Switzerland are the defending champions in this event, it is Serbia who will start out as the favorites for this 115-year-old tournament. This isn’t a complete surprise, though, considering they have in their ranks the world’s best male tennis player today, Novak Djokovic.
[sc:Other240banner ]Djokovic is back in the Davis Cup after taking some time off from this competition last year. That is great news for Serbian supporters who saw their side crash out to Switzerland, 3-2, in the first round of the World Group stage last year.
Djokovic has already won eight Grand Slam singles titles, including the Australian Open earlier this year. He has been so dominant in the men’s game that he has held the No. 1 spot in the ATP Tour rankings for a total of 136 weeks now.
Djokovic led the Serbs to their only Davis Cup tournament win back in 2010, winning both of his singles matches in straight sets. He also steered Serbia to the Davis Cup final a couple of years ago but his two singles victories were not enough to stop the Czech Republic, who won 3-2.
Also favorites for this event is perennial tennis power France. They are the third most successful nation in this event, having won the tournament nine times. They have reached the final in two of the last five years but lost both of those ties to Serbia (2010) and Switzerland (2014).
What makes France such a huge threat in this competition is its tremendous depth. Their three main stars – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gilles Simon and Gael Monfils are all inside the top 20 of the world tennis rankings. Look for the French to be battling into the late rounds of the Davis Cup this year.
2015 Davis Cup World Group – First Round Matches
Serbia vs. Croatia
All eyes will be on the indoor hard court of Kraljevo Sports Center as world no. 1 Novak Djokovic makes his much-awaited Davis Cup return in Serbia’s first round clash with Croatia. This will just be their second meeting since the breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s so expect intense emotion from both sides. Serbia emerged victorious in their only previous Davis Cup encounter, back in 2010.
Writer’s Prediction: Serbia wins, 3-0.
Canada vs. Japan
World No. 4 Kei Nishikori and World No. 6 Milos Raonic take their budding rivalry to the Davis Cup stage as Canada and Japan square off in the first round of the World Group. Nishikori holds a 4-2 edge over Raonic in head-to-head matchups but Raonic will have homecourt advantage this time around with Vancouver playing host to this tie.
The Japanese will fancy their chances against the Canadians in this tie as they are 6-0 against them in the Davis Cup.
Writer’s Prediction: Canada stuns Japan, 3-2.
Great Britain vs. United States
The United States and Great Britain renew hostilities this week as they square off in a rematch of last year’s first-round clash. The British shocked the Americans in San Diego last year, winning 3-1 to advance to the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup for the first time in 28 years.
Great Britain will look to duplicate that feat this year and they will have the added benefit of having homecourt advantage this time around. Leading the charge for the Brits is world No. 5 Andy Murray who will have the partisan Scottish crowd behind him in this tie.
U.S.A. leads Great Britain, 11-8, in their head-to-head matchups in the Davis Cup.
Writer’s Prediction: Great Britain wins, 3-1.
Germany vs. France
Gilles Simon, Gael Monfils and Top 20 doubles player Nicholas Mahut travel to Fraport Arena in Frankfurt for a showdown with Germany in a rematch of their World Group quarterfinal clash last year. France came back from 0-2 down to escape with a nerve-wracking 3-2 win.
It’s quite incredible to think that it has been 76 years since Germany last beat France in the Davis Cup. It’s up to Philipp Kohlschreiber, Benjamin Becker, Jan-Lennard Struff and Andre Begemann to end that streak for the Germans.
Writer’s Prediction: France continues their dominance of Germany with a 3-1 victory.
Czech Republic vs. Australia
It will be a battle of champions in Ostrava as Australia and the Czech Republic lock horns on the hard court of the Cez Arena. The Australians, who have won this tournament 28 times, will be bannered by veteran Lleyton Hewitt who will be joined by Bernard Tomic, Sam Groth and Thanasi Kokinakis.
Three-time champion Czech Republic, on the other hand, will be represented by Lukas Rosol, Jiri Vesely, Jan Mertl and Adam Pavlasek. Australia holds a 6-1 advantage against the Czechs in the Davis Cup, with the Aussies winning their last encounter back in 1997.
Writer’s Prediction: Australia wins, 3-2.
Italy vs. Kazakhstan
A strong Italian squad will travel to Astana this week as they square off with Kazakhstan for the first time on the indoor hard court of the National Tennis Centre. All four Italian players – namely Fabio Fognini, Andreas Seppi, Simone Bolelli and Paolo Lorenzi, are in the top 100 so expect Kazakhstan to have a rough ride this week.
The Kazakhs will be represented by Mikhail Kukushkin, Andrey Golubev, Aleksandr Nedovyesov and Dmitry Popko.
Switzerland may be the defending champions but this squad is definitely just a shell of last year’s winning side. There will be no Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka for the Swiss this time around as they will bank on unheralded players Yann Marti, Adrien Bossel, Henri Laaksonen and Michael Lammer to get the job done against the Belgians.
With that being said, Belgium now has a prime opportunity to advance to the World Group quarterfinals for the first time since 2007. Representing Belgium in this event are David Goffin, Steve Darcis, Ruben Bemelmans and Niels Desein.
Switzerland holds a 4-3 edge against Belgium in the Davis Cup with the Swiss winning their last meeting back in 2008.
Emotions will definitely run high as bitter rivals Argentina and Brazil square off for the first time in the World Group stage of the Davis Cup this week. The clay courts of Tecnopolis in Buenos Aires will be the setting for this epic encounter with Argentina entering the clash as the favorites because of its monumental win over Spain in the World Group last year.
Representing Argentina in this round-of-16 tie are Leonardo Mayer, Diego Schwartzman, Carlos Berlocq and Federico Delbonis. The Brazilians, on the other hand, will be bannered by Joao Souza, Thomaz Bellucci, Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares. It’s interesting to note that it has been 40 years since Brazil last beat Argentina in the Davis Cup.
