Carlos Alcaraz’s place in Spain’s Davis Cup squad is confirmed, but the timing presents a clear surface challenge. Team captain David Ferrer named Alcaraz among five players selected for the qualifier against Denmark at the Puente Romano Tennis Club in Marbella. The scheduling means Alcaraz could be required to change to clay just six days after the US Open final.

Spain will field Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Pedro Martinez and Marcel Granollers alongside Alcaraz. Ferrer warned of Denmark’s strengths and praised his group’s commitment. “I am very happy with the commitment that the players have made and with the enthusiasm that the team has to be able to overcome Denmark, which we already know is going to be a tough opponent with Holger Rune, but we are going to face it in the best way,” he said.

“Their No. 2 Elmer Moller is winning a lot of matches, and he is another player who performs very well on clay, so it is going to be a difficult tie,” Ferrer added. “They already beat Serbia who, in principle, were a difficult opponent to beat and we have the utmost respect.”

Ferrer noted form and recent results when outlining his selections. “Alejandro has been very consistent, he is in the Top 20 of the race and Carlos comes from winning Roland Garros and making the final at Wimbledon, so I am very excited that they can be with us.

“It’s fortunate that we can play at home, in Marbella, on clay, where the Spanish players perform so well. Obviously, Rune also performs very well on clay, but the support of the public is fundamental and that, in the end, benefits us.”

The tie will be Spain’s first Davis Cup match on clay since 2022, the year Alcaraz made his tournament debut. He defeated Marius Copil in straight sets as Spain won the tie 3-1 and progressed to the tournament proper. Spain later won Group B as hosts despite Alcaraz losing to Felix Auger-Aliassime, and then were knocked out by Croatia in the quarterfinals. Spain did not make it out of the group stage in 2023 and reached the quarterfinals last year before losing to the Netherlands.

Before the Davis Cup qualifier, Alcaraz is preparing for the US Open by playing the Cincinnati Open. “It was a new experience, but you have to be ready for that,” Alcaraz said. “Obviously, I didn’t want to lose. It’s a Wimbledon final. But I left the court happy. I left the court proud. I left the court smiling.

“At some point, I had to lose a Grand Slam final. There are a lot of things that I have to improve from that match, but it took me hours, not days [to get past it]. I have to be grateful for everything that I’ve achieved, that I’m living.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas recently expressed a clear preference for winning the Davis Cup, stating it holds more personal value for him than any Grand Slam title. The Greek star, once ranked world No. 3, has been struggling with form recently, exiting early in most Grand Slam events over the last 18 months and currently ranked 29th in the world.

The US Open represents Tsitsipas’ toughest Grand Slam, where he has yet to reach the fourth round and has only won one match in his last three appearances. Despite this, Tsitsipas’ enthusiasm for representing Greece in the Davis Cup remains high. Greece will face Brazil in September, with the winner advancing to the 2026 Davis Cup qualifying rounds.

In an interview with Greek outlet SDNA, Tsitsipas shared, “My mood is to play in the Davis Cup, my love for the Davis Cup is immense. I often tell Petros [Tsitsipas] and my father that a Davis Cup title would probably be more valuable than a Grand Slam. Being able to see our national team win the Davis Cup can fill me up more as a tennis player than a Grand Slam.” His Davis Cup record is strong, boasting a 13-3 singles win-loss tally, an 81% win rate. However, Greece has not reached the Davis Cup Finals since the format change in 2019.

Tsitsipas’ teammates for the national squad include world No. 393 Stefanos Sakellaridis, No. 471 Aristotelis Thanos, and Petros Tsitsipas, Stefan’s brother. Yet the broader 2025 season for Stefanos has been difficult. After winning the ATP 500 event in Dubai, he has lost four of his last six matches and retired early in his Wimbledon first-round match due to back issues.

Earlier this year, Tsitsipas appointed 2001 Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic as his head coach, beginning in the grass-court season. Tsitsipas commented, “Working with Goran is an exciting opportunity for me. He is someone who has reached the highest levels of tennis, both as a player and as a coach. I am confident that his experience will help me grow further and I am really looking forward to that.” Ivanisevic initially echoed this optimism but after just two events, their partnership ended, with Apostolos Tsitsipas, Stefanos’ father, seemingly returning to the coaching team.

The split followed a controversially blunt interview from Ivanisevic, criticizing Tsitsipas for his lack of preparation and progress. Ivanisevic said, “It’s simple and it’s not easy… I’ve talked to him many times. If he solves some things outside of tennis, then he has a chance… He wants to, but he doesn’t do anything. All, ‘I want, I want’, but I don’t see any progress. I was shocked, I’ve never seen a more unprepared player in my life.”

Tsitsipas is set to compete next at the Canadian Masters from July 27 to August 7 as he looks to regain form and ranking.