Rafael Nadal vs Novak Djokovic rematch suffers big blow as Spaniard skips Davis Cup 2022

22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal misses out on Spain’s squad for the David Cup 2022 Finals that was named on Monday. This came as an upset for the tennis fans who were looking forward to the Rafael Nadal vs Novak Djokovic match. The 21-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic, on the other hand, has been named in Serbia’s squad.

The 36-year-old Nadal recently recovered from an injury that he suffered during the Wimbledon Championships 2022 and is not set to make a comeback to the tennis court. The current World No. 3 will start his campaign at the Cincinnati Masters 2022 on Tuesday, preparing for the final Grand Slam tournament of the year US Open 2022. He has won the Australian Open 2022 and French Open 2022 and will look to win his third Grand Slam title at the US Open. 

Djokovic, meanwhile, has pulled out of the Cincinnati Open 2022 after missing last week’s Montreal Masters due to the mandatory Covid-19 vaccination protocols in Canada. This is will be the Serb’s first on-court appearance following his Wimbledon 2022 title win. At the same time, Australian player Nick Kyrgios is another top tennis star who will not play in the Davis Cup finals.

More details about Davis Cup Finals 2022 

The Davis Cup Finals 2022  will feature 16 teams going against each other in the Group Stage and will take place across four cities in Europe, Bologna, Valencia, Hamburg, and Glasgow. The tournament will begin on September 13 and will conclude on September 18. While Nadal and Kyrgios sit out from the tournament, several top players around the globe will be in action at the Davis Cup finals. 

The list of players includes names like Grand Slam Champions, Djokovic, Andy Murray, and Marin Cilic. This is the first time since 2019 that Murray will return to the Great Britain team. While World No. 2 Alexander Zverev returns from his injury to lead team Germany, the Spanish squad features World No. 4 Carlos Alcaraz. Two teams from each of the groups will head into the Final 8 knockout stage of the Davis Cup Finals, which will be held from November 22 to 27.

Davis Cup Finals 2022: Group-wise divisions and full squads

Group A: Bologna 

Croatia: Morin Cilic Borna Conc. Borna Gojo, Mate Pavic, Nikola Mektic, Captain-Vedran Mortic

Italy: Jarinik Sinner, Matteo Berrettin Lorenzo Musetti Fabio Fognini, Simone Bolelli, Captain - Filippo Volandri

Argentina: Diego Schwartzman, Francisco Cerundolo, Sebastian Beez Horacio Zeballos, Maximo Gonzalez, Captain- Guillermo Cons

Sweden: Mikael Ymer Elias Ymer Jonathan Mridha, Karl Friberg, Andre Goransson, Captain-Johan Hedsberg

Group B: Valencia

Spain: Carlos Alcaraz, Pablo Carreño, Roberto Bautista Alejandro Davidovich, Marcel Granollers, Captain-Sergi Bruguera

Canada: Vasek Pospisil Alexis Gelameau, Liam Draxl, Gabriel Diallo, Cleeve Harper, Captain-Frank Dancevic 

Serbia: Novak Djokovic Miomir Kecmanovic, Filip Krajinovic, Lasic Djere, Dusan Lajovic, Captain Viktor Troick

Korea Rep.: Soonwoo Kwon, Seongchan Hong, JiSung Nam, Minkyu Song, Captain Seungkyu Park

Group C: Hamburg

France: Benjamin Bonzi, Adrian Mannarino, Arthur Rinderknech, Nicolas Mahut, Captain-Sebastien Grosjean

Germany: Alexander Zverev Oscar Otte, Jan-Lennard Struff, Tim Puetz, Kevin Krawietz, Captain-Michael Kohlmann

Belgium: David Goffin, Zizou Bergs. Michael Geerts, Sander Gille, Joran Vliegen, Captain - Johan Van Herck

Australia: Alex de Minaur Thanasi Kokkinakis Matthew Ebden, Max Purcell, Captain Lleyton Hewitt

Group D: Glasgow

USA: Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, Jack Sock, Rajeev Ram, Captain - Mardy Fish

Great Britain: Cameron Nome, Daniel Evans Andy Murray, Joe Salisbury, Captain-Leon Smith

Kazakhstan: Alexander Bublik, Dimitry Popko, Mikhail Kukushkin, Andrey Golubev, Aleksandr Nedovyesov, Captain- Yurly Schukin 

Netherlands: Botic van de Zandschulp, Talion Griekspoor. Tim van Rijthoven, Wesley Koolhof, Matwe Middelkoop, Captain-Paul Haarhuis