via Reuters
Tennis – Davis Cup Finals – Madrid Arena, Madrid, Spain – December 5, 2021 General view of the pitch during the national anthems before the match REUTERS/Susana Vera
via Reuters
Tennis – Davis Cup Finals – Madrid Arena, Madrid, Spain – December 5, 2021 General view of the pitch during the national anthems before the match REUTERS/Susana Vera
After a week filled with some enthralling tennis matches across teams, the 2021 Davis Cup Finals witnessed two teams – Croatia and Russian Tennis Federation fight against each other to grab the trophy.
On paper, team Russia appears to be the strongest with top players like Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Aslan Karatsev, and others in the mix. Also, they got off to an early lead of 1-0 as Rublev defeated Borna Gojo in straight sets, 6-4,7-6(5).
Famous footballers attend Davis Cup Finals in Madrid
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The final match was attended by famous personalities across sports. Former Portuguese footballer and winner of the 2000 Ballon d’Or award Luis Figo was present in the arena.
Stargazing 🌟
2000 Ballon d'Or and former @realmadriden player @LuisFigo! ⚽️#DavisCupFinals #byRakuten pic.twitter.com/wMsB78Cjvh
— Davis Cup (@DavisCup) December 5, 2021
Along with Figo, Croatian footballer Luka Modric was also seen cheering for his nation. Modric also received the prestigious Ballon d’Or honor in 2018.
From one Ballon d'Or to another…
2018 winner @lukamodric10 👋🇭🇷#DavisCupFinals #byRakuten pic.twitter.com/Zd7wEXLnBR
— Davis Cup (@DavisCup) December 5, 2021
Watch this story: Five Major Life Lessons We Can Learn From Tennis Star Serena Williams
The revamped Davis Cup, which was the brain-child of footballer Gerard Pique, has received criticism for the format changes from various team captains as well as from former players.
Even though the fans are yet to embrace the new event completely, the die-hard admirers of the tournament still showed up and showered their love for their respective nations.
At the moment, Croatia is in a fix as they have to win the second tie where Marin Cilic is currently playing against Daniil Medvedev.
via Reuters
Tennis – Davis Cup Finals – Madrid Arena, Madrid, Spain – December 5, 2021 Russian Tennis Federation’s Daniil Medvedev in action during his final singles match against Croatia’s Marin Cilic REUTERS/Sergio Perez
Pique’s changes to the tournament were not received well by former players
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Along with changing the matches from best-of-five sets to best-of-three sets from 2019, Pique and his company Kosmos also cut short the event’s length to a week. Recently, there were speculations regarding the finals being moved to Abu Dhabi and other cities in future.
via Getty
MADRID, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 19: Players of Spain line up for national anthems during Day 2 of the 2019 Davis Cup at La Caja Magica on November 19, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
While top players like Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev attended the event this year, a significant number of others have had to sacrifice Davis Cup in-order to prepare themselves for the 2022 ATP season, that begins in Australia.
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Even this year, top tier players like Denis Shapovaloav, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and others had to skip the opportunity of representing their country owing to their injuries as they would need time to undergo rehab and prepare for the season next year.
Also read: “It’s a Disaster”: Legendary Davis Cup Captain Lashes Out at Gerard Pique
