Last year’s edition of the Davis Cup placed Australia in the second position, right after Canada had beaten them 2-0.
And yearning to clinch the much-coveted title this time, the team persevered in the earlier rounds and beat Czechia 2-1, and Finland 2-0, to reach the Finals for the second straight year.
Alexei Popyrin and Alex de Minaur had the team to thank for, as they both defeated their respective Finnish opponents, Otto Virtanen 7-6 (5), 6-2 and Emil Ruusuvuori 6-4, 6-3 in the semi-finals.
Popyrin, for one, had noted that it was the ‘biggest win’ of his career and added that he had felt ‘honored’ to bag a victory for his country.
Davis Cup Final
However, the festivities skidded to a halt as they squared off against the Italians in the finals.
22-year-old sensation Jannik Sinner was on their roster, and having just defeated Novak Djokovic, the first-ranked tennis player in the Pepperstone ATP rankings and the 24-grand slam champion, the odds seemed to be skewed towards Team Italy.
It is no secret that Sinner has been making a lot of noise lately. The youngster had produced some of his best performances in his career for the last few months, winning the Beijing and Vienna Opens and finishing as a runner-up in the recently held ATP finals in Turin, Italy.
The Australians had their own fair share of talented players too, and not to mention they’ve won 28 Davis Cup titles in the past, the latest being 2003.
Taking all this into account, the two teams set off on court, each determined to win the World Cup for their countries.
Popyrin vs Arnaldi, de Minaur vs Sinner
Unfortunately, Popyrin and de Minaur weren’t able to replicate their semi-final wins against the Italians.
Popyrin had fallen to Matteo Arnaldi in three sets, 7-5 2-6 6-4, giving Italy the early lead.
And Italy’s victory was sealed as de Minaur lost by a large margin to Sinner, 6-3, 6-0 in the second singles match.
Australia’s Captain on loss: ‘I’m super proud’
Despite falling short once again in the finals, Australia’s Captain Lleyton Hewitt nevertheless commended the players for putting up a good fight throughout the World Cup.
“I’m super proud of all the boys, the support staff and the team. We did absolutely everything we possibly could have, and we have come agonisingly close yet again,” Hewitt said.
What a great tournament from Australia 🇦🇺
Just falling short in the final 💪#DavisCupFinals | @TennisAustralia pic.twitter.com/LKgpiBVijv
— Davis Cup (@DavisCup) November 26, 2023
Cover Photo: Instagram