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Gerard Pique is set to make an appearance in the 2022 Davis Cup Finals match between Croatia and Spain on Wednesday, November 23. In 2018, he and his group, Kosmos, which includes billionaire investor Larry Ellison, acquired the Davis Cup license.
It will be his first public appearance since retiring from football. The renowned defender, who was set to call curtains on his career in FC Barcelona's match against Osasuna, could not play a part in the match after receiving a red card for entering the field and arguing with the referee during halftime.
The David Cup fixture will be played in Malaga, Spain, with six-time winner Spain being the heavy favorite. The team includes Roberto Bautista Agut, Albert Ramos Vinolas, Pedro Martinez, Pablo Carreno Busta, and Marcel Granollers, with Sergi Bruguera as captain.
Meanwhile, the two-time champion Croatia's team consists of Marin Cilic, Borna Coric, Borna Gojo, Mate Pavic, and Nikola Mektic.
Australia becomes first team to advance to 2022 Davis Cup SF
From September 13 to 18, the 2022 Davis Cup by Rakuten Finals was held in four cities: Bologna, Glasgow, Hamburg, and Valencia. Sixteen nations competed in four round-robin groups of four teams.
Italy, Germany, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, Croatia, Spain, and the United States advanced to the knockout stage after finishing first and second in their respective groups.
Australia and the Netherlands played their first knockout stage match on Tuesday, November 22. Jordan Thompson overcame Tallon Griekspoor 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 in two hours and 55 minutes in the first match of the tie to give Australia the advantage.
Later, Alex de Minaur helped his team advance to the semifinals by defeating Botic van de Zandschulp, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, putting Australia up 2-0 against the Netherlands at the tournament.
World No.24 de Mianur told Davis Cup officials after his triumph that he was "very happy" and that every single player on his team would do everything they could for their country.
"We’ve got a great team, a lot of belief and a lot of passion,” De Minaur said, adding, "I’m very happy to win today. Every single one of these players on our team is going to play their heart out. We’ll do everything we can for our country."
The Aussies, who won the title in 2003, will meet either Croatia or Spain in the semifinals on Friday with their team consisting of Alex de Minaur, Jordan Thompson, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Max Purcell, and Matt Ebden.
