Struff leads DTB team at Davis Cup

Will tennis pro Alexander Zverev play in the Davis Cup finals? This question has not been definitively answered even after the DTB nomination.

The participation of Germany’s best tennis player Alexander Zverev in the Davis Cup finals in Malaga is still open. Team captain Michael Kohlmann has nominated Jan-Lennard Struff and Yannick Hanfmann as well as the two doubles specialists Kevin Krawietz and Tim Pütz for the finals from November 19 to 24.

The fifth place in the team will only be awarded at a later date. “This leaves the possibility that Alexander Zverev can also strengthen the team at short notice,” the German Tennis Association announced.

The world number two had recently left a start open. “I don’t know,” said the Tokyo Olympic champion at the Laver Cup, which he won with Team Europe on Sunday. In the past, Zverev had stressed that it was a “big goal” for him to win the Davis Cup one day. Ultimately, Germany won the prestigious team competition in 1993.

Zverev is currently battling a cold again. He had a fever in Berlin. In the months before, he complained of dizziness and coughing. The German kept his true state of health and fitness a secret at the weekend. It is clear that the late Davis Cup date in Andalusia would significantly shorten Zverev’s recovery phase before the start of the season in Australia.

In Zhuhai, China, the German team managed to qualify for the finals despite having a very weakened squad. Maximilian Marterer and Henri Squire, among others, played in the singles. The DTB explained Zverev’s absence from the group phase shortly after the US Open in New York as being due to travel stress. Struff was also absent in China.

At the final tournament in Spain, Germany will face the Canadians in the round of the last eight, against whom the DTB team lost in the quarter-finals two years ago. “We are eager for revenge and have a team together that I believe can do anything,” said Kohlmann.