Italy, the two-time defending Davis Cup champions, will head into the Final 8 in Bologna from Nov. 18-23 without Jannik Sinner. The No. 8 player Lorenzo Musetti was included on the host nation’s roster, while third-ranked Alexander Zverev is set to represent Germany.

Carlos Alcaraz was named to Spain’s squad on Monday. Spain’s announced group also features Jaume Munar, Pedro Martinez and Marcel Granollers; a fifth player has not yet been announced.

Italy captain Filippo Volandri submitted a team that includes Flavio Cobolli, Matteo Berrettini, Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori alongside Musetti. Up to three players can be changed before the competition begins, but Sinner’s decision appears final.

“While it’s still very agonizing for us, we understand and respect Jannik’s decision, which comes at the end of a long and intense season,” said Angelo Binaghi, the president of the Italian tennis federation. Volandri was succinct when asked about availability: “Jannik Sinner didn’t make himself available,” Volandri said.

Sinner captured two Grand Slam titles this year, winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and also served a three-month doping ban earlier in the season. His absence leaves Italy relying on Musetti and the depth named by Volandri as the hosts look to defend their title.

Spain’s inclusion of Alcaraz gives that team a high-profile leader as the Final 8 approaches. The tournament field will crystallize further if any of the three permitted pre-competition substitutions are used by the national captains in the run-up to the Nov. 18 start date.

The International Tennis Hall of Fame announced Wednesday its player-category nominees for the Class of 2026, led by Roger Federer and joined by Juan Martin del Potro and Svetlana Kuznetsova. Two contributors also appear on the ballot: TV announcer Mary Carillo and administrator Marshall Happer. The inductees will be announced in November.

Federer is cited for a career that reshaped the modern era. He was the first man to reach 20 Grand Slam singles titles, finished five seasons ranked No. 1 and spent a record 237 consecutive weeks at the top. Federer won 103 singles trophies and 1,251 matches, totals among men only Jimmy Connors surpassed in the Open era. He led Switzerland to the 2014 Davis Cup title and, with Stan Wawrinka, claimed an Olympic doubles gold medal in Beijing in 2008.

At the height of his career Federer reached 10 consecutive Grand Slam finals from 2005-07, winning eight of them, and made 18 of 19 major finals into 2010. He also recorded runs of 36 consecutive quarterfinals and 23 straight semifinals. Federer completed his career Grand Slam at Roland Garros in 2009; his first major came at Wimbledon in 2003. His 2009 Wimbledon final victory over Andy Roddick ended 16-14 in the fifth set and moved Federer past Pete Sampras’ then-record of 14 major titles. He played his last match at Wimbledon in 2021 and announced his retirement the following year, closing his competitive career with a doubles appearance alongside Rafael Nadal at the Laver Cup, an event his management company founded. Federer was frequently an ambassador for the sport and often spoke in English, French and Swiss German at news conferences.

Del Potro arrives on the ballot as the 2009 US Open champion who halted Federer’s run of five straight US Open finals with a five-set win when he was not yet 21. Injuries to his wrist and knee curtailed what had seemed an elite career. Del Potro finished with 22 tour-level titles, a career-high ranking of No. 3, a runner-up finish to Novak Djokovic at the 2018 US Open, a 2016 Olympic silver medal and a role in Argentina’s 2016 Davis Cup triumph. His last Grand Slam appearance was a fourth-round run at the 2019 French Open.

Kuznetsova is nominated as a two-time Grand Slam singles champion. “I always say it’s wonderful to be part of that selective group,” Federer said in a 2021 interview with The Associated Press.

Felix Auger-Aliassime and Nina Ghaibi were married on Sept. 21 in Marrakech, concluding a six-year relationship with a private ceremony held two weeks after Auger-Aliassime reached the US Open semifinals. The couple, who became engaged last year, kept most details of the celebration private, but a few glimpses surfaced through social posts and reporting.

Ahead of the US Open, Auger-Aliassime told People that Ghaibi, a cousin of Ajla Tomljanovic, “[did] everything” in planning their wedding. “As long as I have my suit ready, that’s about the best I can do,” he joked before reaching the semifinals at the year’s final major. “But she’s been amazing. Her and her family have been taking care of a lot, and I have to give her all the credit.”

The groom reportedly wore a Dior suit and said his principal concerns were a “full bar” and “hospitality” for guests. He added, “You want to feel like people are welcome, and they’re not stretching themselves to come to your wedding.”

Private images and videos shared on social media by Auger-Aliassime’s Davis Cup teammate Vasek Pospisil and by the bride’s sister, Cilia Ghaibi, showed moments from the day, including the newlyweds kissing after their vows beneath a large arch of greenery and white florals.

According to a report from Canadian tennis writer Stephanie Myles, Auger-Aliassime’s groomsmen included peers he first met in Tennis Canada’s training orbit: Alexis Galarneau, Joshua Peck, Victor Krustev and Nicaise Muamba. The party also included Vasek Pospisil, described in the report as the 35-year-old who was mutually coached by Frédéric Fontang.

The wedding followed a busy stretch for Auger-Aliassime on tour and highlighted a private celebration centered on family, close teammates and longtime friends.