MADRID — The budding rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic is set to be renewed in the group stage of the Davis Cup Finals next month.
Alcaraz and Djokovic were included in the teams announced by Spain and Serbia, respectively, for the competition that will be played Sept. 12-17 in Valencia, Spain.
Alcaraz defeated Djokovic in the Wimbledon final in July. The Spaniard is No. 1 in the world, with Djokovic sitting at No. 2.
Spain and Serbia have been drawn in the same group along with the Czech Republic and South Korea.
Group-stage matches will also be played in Bologna, Italy, Manchester, England, and Split, Croatia.
The top two teams in each of the four groups will advance to the finals in Malaga, Spain, in November.
Alcaraz will lead a Spain team that will include Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Roberto Bautista Agut and Marce Granollers.
Djokovic’s Serbia will also have Laslo Djere, Miomir Kecmanovic, Dusan Lajovic and Hamad Medjedovic.
Nine of the current top 20 players in the world have been called up for their national teams – Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti for Italy, Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul for the United States, Alex de Minaur for Australia, Cameron Norrie for Britain and Borna Coric for Croatia.
Andy Murray will also play for Britain, which faces Australia, France and Switzerland in Manchester.
The Swiss will count on Stan Wawrinka, while France will have Adrian Mannarino and Nicolas Mahut.
Leo Borg, son of 11-time Grand Slam champion Bjorn Borg, was included in Sweden’s team that will face Canada, Italy and Chile in Bologna.
Mackenzie McDonald, Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram were also included in the American team that will play against the Netherlands, Finland and host Croatia in Split.
Elsewhere, Andy Murray is back in the Great Britain Davis Cup team for next month’s matches against Australia, France and Switzerland.
Former Wimbledon champion Murray was left out of Britain’s 3-1 qualifying round win against Colombia on clay in February.
British captain Leon Smith suggested the surface was not conducive for Murray, who had at the time played just three matches on clay since 2017.
But the former world number one was named in the squad on Monday for the September dates in Manchester.
Murray takes his place alongside Cameron Norrie, Dan Evans and Neal Skupski for the Finals Group Stage as Britain attempt to qualify for November’s knockout stage.
Only two of the four nations will advance from Group B for the Davis Cup quarter-finals in Malaga.
Murray, a three-time Grand Slam champion, was integral to Britain ending a 79-year wait for glory in the team competition when they triumphed in 2015.
His most recent Grand Slam appearance ended in a second round exit at Wimbledon against Stefanos Tsitsipas.
“It’s been a long time since we played in the north-west (of England) and I’m sure we are going to feel and hear a lot of energy from the fans,” Smith said.
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