The German tennis team plans for the Davis Cup finals from November 22nd to 27th without top star Alexander Zverev.
At the moment it doesn’t look like the Olympic champion will be “ready to play again” by then, the German Tennis Association said and decided not to nominate the top player. Team boss Michael Kohlmann relies on the team that qualified for the final round in Spain and the quarter-finals against Canada in Hamburg in September, also without Zverev: Oscar Otte, Jan-Lennard Struff, Yannick Hanfmann and the doubles specialists Tim Pütz and Kevin Krawietz are in the squad.
“Certainly we’re not the favourites, but we’re looking forward to this challenge. We’ve proven often enough that we can keep up with the best and, like last year, we want to reach at least the semi-finals,” said Kohlmann.
However, without Zverev, the German tennis men are just outsiders for the knockout round game on November 24 against Canada. The Canadians could line up with the two top 20 players, Félix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov.
After his foot injury from the French Open, Zverev originally planned his comeback for the Davis Cup week in Hamburg in September. Because of a bone edema in his foot, which he contracted during rehabilitation training, the appearances of the sixth in the world rankings then burst. It is currently uncertain when the German number one will return to the tour.