Although Germany secured a spot at the 2024 Davis Cup Final 8, Alexander Zverev won't be playing at the event as he doesn't appear on the country's team.
The 2024 Davis Cup Final 8 stage will be played in Malaga from November 19th to 24th, as the last tournament in the calendar, which has been the case for many years now, but Zverev won't be competing in the Spanish city.
The German has had an interesting journey in the Davis Cup, playing frequently at times but at other times barely playing at all. Like most players, Zverev prioritizes his singles career over playing in the Davis Cup.
He’s also been a vocal critic of the current Davis Cup format, blasting it as something that's not even the real Davis Cup. He enjoyed the home-and-away format from the past way more.
He hasn't really played often in the Davis Cup in recent years. The last time Zverev played for Germany in the Davis Cup was last year in February against Switzerland, losing one match and winning the other.
The reason why he won't play is likely mostly based on the schedule and the amount of matches he played in 2024. He recently stated that the tennis calendar is brutal, backing some of his colleagues who spoke out against it.
He's also been playing a lot of tennis this year, even more than before. He played 75 matches already, which is only eight less than last year, which was his highest total in years.
In fact, last year's 83-match mark is tied for the most he ever played in his career, and he's on par to beat that easily this year. It will mostly come down to what events he plays until the end of the year.
The Shanghai Masters is one of the tournaments where he will still compete, as well as the Paris Masters and some ATP 500 events like the Vienna Open and Swiss Open in Basel, where he might, but doesn't have to play.
Then there is also the ATP Finals, where Zverev will at least play 3 more matches, so if he plays the ATP Finals and one of these events, he's likely to eclipse the highest total he ever played.
After such a grueling season, likely the last thing Zverev needs is to play at the Davis Cup in a format that he doesn't particularly enjoy, in Malaga, where he wouldn't necessarily get a lot of support. He was actually asked about that at the Laver Cup, and he said:
"I don't know."
Seemingly, he probably knew, given that the confirmation about the German team came only hours later, as the country's representation for the Davis Cup Final 8 has been officially announced.
The lineup will consist of Jan Lennard Struff, Yannick Hanfmann, Tim Puetz, and Kevin Krawietz, with Zverev absent. If some of the matchups had been scheduled on German soil, there’s a good chance Zverev might have participated, as the recently concluded Laver Cup showed.
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