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Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from Spain's squad for the Davis Cup Finals group stage following a disappointing end to his US Open campaign on Friday, September 8. He will be replaced by 35-year-old Albert Ramos-Vinolas.
Alcaraz bowed out of the US Open after losing to Russia's Daniil Medvedev in the semifinal on Friday. Trying to defend his title in New York, Alcaraz was handed a 6-7(3), 1-6, 6-3, 3-6 defeat in a match that lasted three hours and 18 minutes.
The Spaniard's withdrawal from the Davis Cup comes after Jannik Sinner and Matteo Berrettini confirmed their absence from Italy's team for the tournament.
Ramos-Vinolas will now accompany Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Roberto Bautista Agut and Marcel Granollers, under the aegis of captain David Ferrer, in their nation's quest for glory.
Spain will square off against other Group C participants Czech Republic on Wednesday, September 13. They will then take on Serbia on Friday, and the Republic of Korea on Sunday.
Several tennis fans had hoped to see another showdown between Alcaraz and Serbia's Novak Djokovic in Valencia, but their hopes have now been dashed.
Also known as the World Cup of tennis, Davis Cup group-stage matches are scheduled to be played between September 12 and September 17. A total of 16 teams divided into four groups will compete against each other at this stage.
Group A consists of titleholders Canada, as well as Italy, Sweden, and Chile. In Group B, Great Britain, Australia, France, and Switzerland will battle it out against each other. Croatia, Finland, the USA, and the Netherlands have been put together in Group D.
"I want to be better" - Carlos Alcaraz after US Open loss to Daniil Medvedev
Carlos Alcaraz has vowed to devote the next few weeks to learning and moving on from the heartbreaking loss to 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev. During his post-match press conference in New York, Alcaraz suggested it might take him a few weeks to get over the defeat.
"I don't think I'm gonna think about this loss for a long time. Of course I have to learn about it. I want to be better. You know, these kind of matches help you a lot to be better and grow up in these kind of situations," he said.
The 20-year-old suggested it might not take him longer than a few weeks to get over the disappointment.
"But I have to talk with my team, with Juan Carlos, and how I can be better, but days, weeks, but not much longer than that," Carlos Alcaraz added.
Medvedev, meanwhile, will take on Novak Djokovic in the title clash on Sunday.
