
In the first of two qualifying rounds for the final tournament, the Swiss Davis Cup team goes into its clash with Spain, which takes place on Saturday and Sunday in Biel, with little self-confidence.
On paper, the starting position for captain Severin Lüthi's team is difficult, although the Spaniards will not be able to line up with their top players. After his quarter-final exit at the Australian Open, exceptional player Carlos Alcaraz will not be making a guest appearance in Switzerland.
But even without the four-time Grand Slam tournament winner and the retired Rafael Nadal, Spain, who have won all six of their Davis Cup triumphs in the last 25 years, have plenty of class. Three of the four nominees for the duel with Switzerland are ranked in the top 60 in the world rankings.
"Even without its best player, Spain is still a difficult opponent," Lüthi emphasized ahead of the encounter. "But that doesn't change much for us, first and foremost we have to prepare as well as possible. And a lot can happen in the hall." All the more so against the Iberians, who feel more comfortable on clay.
"Happy to see each other again"
Switzerland currently no longer has a top 100 player. The top-ranked player is Jérôme Kym (ATP 136) from Aargau, whose serve is particularly effective on the hard court surface in the Swiss Tennis Arena in Biel. However, his start to the season has been complicated, as has that of Dominic Stricker (ATP 287) and Marc-Andrea Hüsler (ATP 170).
"Of course, a captain always hopes that his players are playing at their best level. A few more wins would have been good," admits Lüthi. "But there's no need to make a drama out of it, they've only played two or three tournaments this season," clarifies the long-time coach and companion of Roger Federer.
Lüthi emphasizes the good mood in the Swiss team, which could make an exploit possible this weekend. "The players are happy to see each other again, you can feel it," he says.
Stricker makes the start
"It's this team spirit that provides additional motivation, and not the frustration that they've messed up the start to the season," says Lüthi, who is relying on Dominic Stricker in the singles on Saturday. The left-hander from Bern will challenge Spain's No. 1 Pedro Martinez (ATP 44) in the opening match (from 1.00 pm).
However, Stricker is plagued by self-doubt after losing his first four matches of the season without winning a single set. But his power is feared on fast surfaces, as is that of Jérôme Kym, who will play Roberto Carballes Baena (ATP 51) in the second match.
The action continues on Sunday from 12.30 p.m. with the doubles, in which the duo Hüsler/Stricker will play - unless Lüthi opts for Rémy Bertola. Kym is then likely to meet Martinez in the fourth match of the weekend and Stricker will face Carballes Baena in the potentially decisive fifth match.
Serbia or Denmark as possible next hurdle
The winner of this duel will face Serbia or Denmark in the second round of qualifying in mid-September. Serbia will have to make do without Novak Djokovic this weekend, while Denmark can count on world number 12 Holger Rune for the clash in Copenhagen.