At noon in Bologna: the last time the Spanish reached the top four was in 2019

Spain without Alcaraz or Germany led by Zverev. Whatever happens, they will be the talk of the town. One as a silent spectator cheering and suffering in front of the TV, the other as the protagonist on the court despite himself. Carlos injured, Sasha revitalized. He had dismissed this Davis Cup as a mere “exhibition,” reluctantly accepting the invitation of his friend Struff. He changed his mind, starting the comeback against Argentina thanks to his singles victory over Cerundolo and cheering loudly from the bench for the doubles team of Krawietz and Puetz until 1 a.m. ” It’s like a night at the disco, I’ve lost my voice,“ he said immediately after the 2-1 victory that took the Germans to the semifinals.

Today at noon, there is a date with history. For both national teams. The last time Spain reached the Davis Cup G4, in 2019, it went on to win the title, with the ”vamos” of a certain Rafa Nadal. Germany also made it there last year, but Zverev was missing, who is currently the only top ten player present in the tennis arena set up at the Bologna Exhibition Center. The Germans’ plan is even more ambitious: to take advantage of the momentum of the world number 3 to bring home a trophy that has been missing for 32 years, since the days of Michael Stich. For his part, Zverev would like to receive at least a piece of the glory of Boris Becker, the icon who has been constantly criticizing him lately. While “Bum Bum” is absolutely unapproachable—just think of his six Grand Slam titles, which dwarf Sascha’s three finals—the current German leader could begin to emulate him in the Davis Cup. Fans still remember the double final won by Becker’s Germany against Sweden’s eternal rival Edberg in 1988 and 1989. “You know how I feel about the current Davis Cup format: I think it’s much more exciting to play at home or away, with the warmth of a more involved crowd. But now I’m here and I’ll do everything I can to help Germany win,” Zverev proclaims.

Redemption—  Just eight days ago, he lost to Auger-Aliassime in Turin and was knocked out of the Finals, ending an unsatisfactory year on tour with only one title won (and not even a Masters, but the 500 in Munich) and less than half the points of Alcaraz and Sinner. The Davis Cup could be his redemption. After Cerundolo, he will face another clay-court player, Jaume Munar, whom Spanish captain Ferrer has promoted to first singles player in the absence of No. 1 Alcaraz and No. 14 Davidovich Fokina. Munar, ranked 36th, won only four games in his last head-to-head match with Zverev at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. “But he’s playing much better than he was then,” Sascha cautions. Before them, the No. 2 seeds will take to the court today: Carreno Busta (ATP 89) and Struff (ATP 84). The Spaniard leads 3-1 in previous encounters, but the last time they played each other was five years ago. The truth is that the outcome is anyone’s guess, and so the name of the finalist could only emerge in the doubles, where there are at least three super specialists: the Germans Krawietz and Puetz, sixth in this year’s Race and with 19 wins in 20 Davis Cup matches, and the Spaniard Granollers, champion of Roland Garros and the US Open, alongside Pedro Martinez, who has had a perfect season with the Spanish team (5 wins out of 5).

THE CAPTAINS—  “Everything could be decided in the doubles again. And in the past, we have often won it. Against Argentina, we were on the brink of defeat several times, but we managed to pull through. We are still here, and now we are nurturing the big dream of winning the cup,” says German captain Kohlmann. “If we managed to come back in Marbella against Denmark and here in Bologna against the Czech Republic, it’s because we are united and we trust each other. That’s how you do well in Davis. Obviously, big names can bring victories, but the team is the most important thing,” replies Ferrer.