The United States announced a much-changed squad for the 2024 Davis Cup qualifying round. Last year’s members Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul were dropped while rising star Ben Shelton was snubbed. Despite this, team USA looks strong on paper.
In the qualifying round, 24 teams will battle it out, 1v1, for 12 open spots in the Davis Cup Finals. The USA, seeded seventh, will face Ukraine in Vilnius, Lithuania. Ukraine is the home team but given the ongoing war, their base has been shifted.
Team USA captain and legendary doubles player Bob Bryan revealed the squad, raising some eyebrows. All three singles players from their ill-fated 2023 campaign, Tiafoe, Paul, and Mackenzie McDonald, were left out. American No.1 Taylor Fritz came in instead, joined by Sebastian Korda and Christopher Eubanks. Doubles pair Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram held on to their places.
Apart from the complete replacement of the singles players, Shelton’s absence also caused a surprise. The World No.17 missed the boat even as Korda and Eubanks, No.24 and No.34 respectively, made the cut. Bryan seemingly opted to go with the experience of the latter two. Ben Shelton turned pro only in late 2022,
whereas Korda did so in 2018 and Eubanks in 2017.
This also allows Shelton to focus on his career to build upon a breakthrough 2023 season. USA’s qualifying tie against Ukraine is scheduled for February 1 and 2, barely days after the Australian Open concludes. February is also the busiest month in the ATP Calendar with 12 events. Shelton will be looking to make a deep run in the AO and participate in some top tournaments in February. Hence, the Davis Cup snub could act as a blessing.
Despite stars like Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul & Ben Shelton, Team USA had a poor 2023 Davis Cup
Team USA endured a poor Davis Cup campaign in 2023. While they had no trouble dismantling Uzbekistan in the qualifying round, the Americans looked listless in the Finals group stage. The likes of Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul put up pitiful performances as the 32-time Davis Cup winners crashed out.
The Finals group stage was played in September 2023 with four groups of four, with the top two qualifying for the knockouts. The USA finished third in Group D behind the Netherlands and Finland. They had worse set and match W/L records than fourth-placed Croatia, but finished above the European nation since they had won the tie between them.
Across three ties, the USA won only three matches. Two of these came from the doubles pair of Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram, while Mackenzie McDonald grabbed the third. The 2-1 victory against hosts Croatia was the only tie the USA won. Bob Bryan’s men lost 2-1 and 3-0 to the Netherlands and Finland, respectively.
With a new-look squad, Bryan will hope his squad performs better in the 2024 Davis Cup. While Ukraine will not pose much threat, the real challenge begins in the Finals. Ben Shelton could finally be drafted in for the later rounds to join Taylor Fritz and company.
