India's Billie Jean King Cup team is preparing for the Asia/Oceania Group I tournament in Delhi, with a focus on team unity and a blend of experienced players and rising stars.
Australia has pinned its hopes on ageing warhorse Lleyton Hewitt to steer the country back into the Davis Cup's world group, naming him in both singles and doubles for their playoff against Belgium in Cairns this week.
Rohan Bopanna often gets baffled to find the love of playing Davis Cup diminishing with passage of time.
The former world number one returned to best-of-five-set tennis for the first time in 14 months at the US Open last week but, after hobbling to defeat in the second round, he decided to skip the Sept. 14-16 World Group playoff tie.
Rafael Nadal will play Sergiy Stakhovsky in Friday's second Davis Cup singles rubber after Spain announced their lineup for the World Group playoff at home to Ukraine on Thursday.
Veteran tennis star Leander Paes has said unity in the Indian Davis Cup team was improving, and the camaraderie among players will be better when they will face tougher challengers in the 2014 Davis Cup campaign.
World number six Samantha Stosur has opted out of Australia's Fed Cup World Group playoff against Ukraine to concentrate on preparing for the clay-court season.
Lleyton Hewitt and Chris Guccione won the doubles rubber to give Australia a 2-1 lead against Roger Federer's Switzerland in the Davis Cup world group playoff tie on Saturday.
In what would come as a massive blow to India's chances at the Davis Cup, tennis ace Leander Paes pulled out of the US Open mixed doubles semi-finals due to back spasms which also makes him doubtful for the World Group playoff tie against Japan next week.
Somdev Devvarman will spearhead India's singles challenge in a four-member team announced by the All India Tennis Association on Friday for the Davis Cup World Group playoffs against Japan from September 16 to 18.
Venus Williams will travel to Germany with the US Fed Cup team for their World Group playoff later this month and could be available for duty if fit, American captain Mary Joe Fernandez said on Tuesday.
India's top ranked Davis Cupper Somdev Devvarman on Sunday said he is not under any pressure against Brazil in the Davis Cup World Group Playoff tie starting in Chennai on September 17, but would try to make full use of the home advantage.
At the 2003 World Cup in South Africa and Zimbabwe, England forfeited their Pool A match against Zimbabwe for security reasons, while New Zealand forfeited their Pool B match against Kenya, also for safety concerns.
Former World No 1 Ana Ivanovic has pulled out of Serbia's Fed Cup World Group playoff tie with Slovakia next month over poor form.
Roger Federer secured Switzerland's spot in next year's Davis Cup World Group with a 6-3, 6-0, 6-4 win over Italy's Potito Starace in a rain-affected match in Genoa on Sunday. His commanding victory, peppered with effortless winners from the baseline, gave the Swiss team an unassailable 3-1 lead in the World Group playoff.
Rafael Nadal returned to Davis Cup action for the first time in two years on Friday with his victory putting Spain ahead in a Group One relegation playoff against Denmark.
World No 1 Roger Federer, playing his first match for six weeks, beat qualifier Olivier Rochus in straight sets on Monday to open his defence of his Swiss Indoors ATP title.
India stormed into the final of Junior Davis Cup's World Group playoff after stunning top seeds Australia 3-0 in New Delhi on Friday.
Tim Henman is set to retire from the sport after the Davis Cup world group playoff against Croatia next month.
Sania Mirza and Shikha Uberoi were named in the Fed Cup tie against Korea
Sania Mirza and Shikha Uberoi were named in the Fed Cup tie against Korea
Greg Rusedski announced his retirement after helping Britain to establish a 3-0 lead over the Netherlands in Davis Cup.
The Australian is still suffering the effects of an injury he picked up during the US Open and had been rested as a precaution.
Switzerland and Serbia finished level on the opening Friday of their Davis Cup World Group playoff.
Li Na beat Germany's Kathrin Woerle 7-5, 7-5 to secure China's place in the Fed Cup elite for the first time
Roger Federer suffered a rare defeat when Radek Stepanek and Tomas Berdych won the doubles to give the Czech Republic a 2-1 lead over Switzerland in their Davis Cup World Group playoff tie.
Roger Federer overcame Radek Stepanek in four sets as Switzerland and the Czech Republic battled to 1-1 after the opening singles matches in their Davis Cup World Group playoff on Friday.
Briton Tim Henman bowed out of grand slam tennis with a second-round defeat at the U.S. Open on Friday, but said he would be leaving the sport content that he had made the most of his potential.
The world number one confirmed he would play for Switzerland against Britain in the World Group play-off in September.
Marat Safin and Mikhail won the doubles to give Russia a 3-0 lead in their Davis Cup World Group playoff tie.
Wayne Arthurs rode his booming serve to a 7-6 6-4 6-3 victory over Mounir El Aarej to give Australia a 1-0 lead over Morocco in their Davis Cup World Group playoff.
The U.S. Open runner-up has already won 24 Davis Cup singles matches and needs one more to eclipse Adrian Quist's Australian record.
Hewitt cruised to victory in less than an hour and a half to leave Australia in control of the Davis Cup relegation tie at Perth's Royal Kings Park.
Netherlands' dream run in the Fed Cup ended agonisingly short of the final when they lost the deciding doubles rubber of a thrilling semi-final against France in Trelaze.
Yuki Bhambri will open India's Davis Cup campaign against Serbia, drawn against visiting side's No 2 player Dusan Lajovic for the first singles match of the World Group playoff tie, beginning in Bangalore on Friday.
Australia's bad boys of tennis Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic have been named in the Davis Cup squad for the World Group playoff against Slovakia after bowing out of the US Open in typical controversy.
Indian captain Sania Mirza led from the front as the hosts registered a 2-1 victory over Philippines.
Martina Hingis has no plans of returning to play singles on the women's tour after a courageous performance in a Fed Cup defeat by Agnieszka Radwanska in Zielona Gora, Poland, on Saturday in her first major match in eight years.
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