11 September 2024

Jack Draper rested for Great Britain’s opening Davis Cup tie against Finland

11 September 2024

Jack Draper has been rested for Great Britain’s opening Davis Cup match against Finland at the AO Arena.

The 22-year-old arrived in Manchester on Tuesday afternoon following his run to the semi-finals of the US Open but captain Leon Smith has opted to give him extra time to recover, with tougher-looking tests against Argentina and Canada to come this week.

Billy Harris replaces him and will make his debut against Finnish number one Otto Virtanen, while Dan Evans plays Eero Vasa in the opening rubber.

By playing in his 26th tie in the competition, Evans has overtaken Andy Murray to claim joint second place in the British standings alongside Mike Sangster and behind only Bobby Wilson.

Finland were surprise semi-finalists last year but have been dealt a major blow by the absence through injury of their number one Emil Ruusuvuori.

Britain must finish in the top two in the group to secure their place at the final eight event in Malaga in November.

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