To win the Davis Cup for the first time since 2007 requires a team effort, and Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz are two of the leaders in that effort

Having already broken several records in 2022, Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz will aim to win the Davis Cup for the United States for the first time in 15 years this week.

“We haven’t had a winning squad in a long time, but this could be one of the best we’ve ever had. Hopefully, this team can pull it together “U.S. Open quarterfinalist Tiafoe stated this in September.

The 24-year-old from Maryland said in a phone interview on Monday, “I honestly feel we can go out here and accomplish something great.” “We won’t be home for Thanksgiving, but we want to make up for it in other ways. We are confident in saying that we are among the best teams in the league.”

The Davis Cup Finals are being held in Malaga, Spain, with the quarterfinals getting off on Tuesday with a matchup between Australia and the Netherlands.

On Wednesday, Croatia plays Spain, and two of the sport’s greatest stars won’t be there. Spain will be missing 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal and world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz. Meanwhile, Marin Cilic, winner of the 2014 U.S. Open, is the only Grand Slam singles champion still competing for Croatia.

On Thursday, the United States will take on Italy, while Canada will face Germany in the remaining two quarterfinal matches. Friday and Saturday are the semifinals, and Sunday is the championship game. Two singles matches and one doubles match, both best-of-three sets, make up each encounter.

While Italy’s top two players (Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini in 2021 and three-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist Jannik Sinner in 2022) will be out due to injuries, U.S. captain Mardy Fish has a strong team with world No. 9 Taylor Fritz, world No. 19 Frances Tiafoe, and doubles specialists Jack Sock and Tommy Paul.

They were all members of the World side that made history in September by defeating Europe in the Laver Cup final thanks to Frances Tiafoe’s win against Stefanos Tsitsipas.

“No one is sick or injured. The common condition is hunger. The men are eager to get underway and are motivated to win for one another and play as a team “Says the fish. One team member said, “This is the greatest squad we’ve had in a long time.”

The United States has won 32 Davis Cups, more than any other country (Italy won once, in 1976).

In 2007, Andy Roddick, James Blake, and the Bryan brothers Bob and Mike beat Russia in the final in Portland, Oregon. This was before the tournament changed its structure such that teams no longer got to host matches in each round.

READ MORE : Rafael Nadal considers how consistent the circuit is: “Every ball is struck with the intention of winning the point”

“Some of the players wish there was still a home and away component. “Having a whole crowd cheering for or against you makes Davis Cup incredibly memorable,” Fish said, “but there’s not a whole lot we can change about the structure.”

Of course, the current generation of American tennis players has never won the Davis Cup. But Fish did work out with that 2007 squad. “Even though I was a part of the process, I wasn’t on the finals roster, and therefore I don’t feel like I have won it,” he remarked.