Australians have two more reasons to be proud of Queensland’s John Millman. Firstly, the 30-year-old subbed in for an injured Nick Kyrgios (back) on Sunday morning to give the home team a 1-0 lead against Canada at the ATP Cup in Brisbane.

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, depending on which industry writes your cheque, the Aussie gave a full-throated endorsement, both on and off the court, for what Queensland’s banana industry can do for your tennis game.

In muggy conditions inside Pat Rafter Arena, Millman ran down everything against Felix Auger-Aliassime, eliciting 42 unforced errors compared to 23 winners from the #NextGenATP star. Millman’s training in his hometown of Brisbane and his nutrition, which always includes bananas, paid off for the 30-year-old.

“You’re losing a lot of fluids. So being in Queensland, I love my bananas, obviously,” Millman said.

Australia has 13,000 hectares of banana production, according to the Australian Banana Growers’ Council, and 94 per cent of it is located in the northeastern state of Queensland.

Millman’s banana-eating is so prolific, he’s received playful criticism on his technique. A video circulated late last year of Millman chowing down on the fruit. But he’s not stopping.

“I’m a nibbler,” Millman said. “I don’t like massive chunks because I feel like I have to chew so much, so yeah, I nibble a banana.

“There’s a video somewhere. There’s someone who was poking fun at me, that’s the Aussie way, isn’t it, a good bit of banter. If that’s one of my worst traits, then I can live with that.”

His banana eating aside, Millman has a reputation for being one of the fittest men on the ATP Tour. He memorably outlasted Roger Federer under similar conditions to make the 2018 US Open quarter-finals.

“It’s just important to go through your routines and know what works for you. I haven’t had too many problems in the past with my nutrition and how my body reacts in these conditions. You’re always going to feel it sometimes. But what you do is you control what you can control and that’s what I try to do,” Millman said on Sunday.

“Hopefully, you’ve done the hard work, and you look after the nutrition side, and you do the hard work off the court, and you do your physical work, and hopefully it combines for a successful season in summer, and in some of the trickiest conditions that we play throughout the year.”

Stefano Travaglia gave Team Italy the advantage in its bid to secure a first Group D tie win on a hot Sunday in Perth at the inaugural ATP Cup.

World No. 84 Travaglia lost just two of his first-service points (15/17) against Viktor Durasovic of Team Norway in a 6-1, 6-1 victory over 57 minutes at the RAC Arena, where temperatures hit 34°C (93°F).

Fabio Fognini, whose wife, former WTA pro Flavia Pennetta, gave birth to their second child — a daughter named Farah — on 23 December, will next look to clinch the tie for Team Italy with a win over Casper Ruud, who saved two match points to overcome John Isner of Team United States on Friday. Fognini lost to World No. 5 Daniil Medvedev in three sets.

The 24-team event is being played in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney from 3-12 January, with the Final Eight beginning on Thursday in Sydney.

“Today was different conditions than two days ago against Khachanov,” said Travaglia. “The court was faster, the balls faster and the sun was so hot… I started very well, having prepared yesterday with my captain and my coach in the strategy room. I was solid from the first point. I just tried to play my tennis, with my feet inside the court and I tried to go to the net.”

Travaglia, who lost to Team Russia’s Karen Khachanov in the first tie, dominated from the start as nerves once again affected Durasovic, who committed 16 unforced errors in the 29-minute opener. Travaglia completed the set with his fifth winner, a crosscourt forehand volley winner.

Forehand errors continued to stack up for Durasovic, two days on from his loss to Taylor Fritz of Team United States. Travaglia won seven straight games form 2-1 in the first set to 3-0 in the second set.

Team Norway defeated Team United States 2-1 in Group D on Friday, while Team Italy lost 0-3 to Team Russia

Bulgaria needed until 2:46am Saturday morning to secure their first tie victory of the ATP Cup, surprising Great Britain in a thriller. But there was no such drama on Sunday, with the team cruising past Moldova.

Grigor Dimitrov beat Radu Albot 6-2, 6-3 in 83 minutes to seal his country’s victory, which ultimately was by a 2-1 margin.

“I just had to build up the team a little bit for today, and after that it was just all about the game,” Dimitrov said. “I think Dimitar did a great job this morning. Obviously it was a good match on his end. And then I had to make sure I stayed strong throughout the whole match today. That was good.”

The former World No. 3, who won the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals, showed no fatigue after playing a total of six sets in singles and doubles against Great Britain, on top of serving in his role as Bulgarian captain. Dimitrov broke the Moldovan four times, winning 86 per cent of his first-serve points to put the tie out of reach.

In the second set, Albot, the 2019 Delray Beach titlist, fought back from a break down to put pressure on Dimitrov. But the World No. 20 had the match on his racquet and did not panic, defeating Albot in their first ATP Head2Head meeting.

“Coming into this thing, I knew that if we come together, we have a great opportunity. I know I have to not only believe in myself now, but I need to believe in the players that are with me,” Dimitrov said. “My only goal was, and I’m honest on that, was just to put them together, to make sure we practise together, to make sure they learn something from me, to make sure they are surrounded by the top players. That was my main goal.”

Dimitrov’s countryman, Dimitar Kuzmanov, fell just short of a big win against Great Britain, losing to Cameron Norrie in three sets. But the World No. 423 would not be denied on Sunday, defeating Alexander Cozbinov 6-1, 7-5 to give his country the early lead.

“I’m the happiest person right now,” Kuzmanov said, cracking a smile. “As I was giving the interview on the court… I totally forgot that this is also my first ATP match win.
I didn’t think about it at all. I was really, really focussed only about my game, just stick with it, the plan, the game plan we had. I think it was working pretty well.”

The 26-year-old arrived in Sydney without an ATP Tour win in his career. But Kuzmanov broke serve five times against World No. 818 Cozbinov to triumph after one hour and 48 minutes.

“Really happy that I dealt with the pressure, because it’s not easy. It’s not easy to always play the first match, as a No. 2 player, and especially I’m still getting used to everything here and that level,” Kuzmanov said. “I’m learning and I’m feeling better and better every day here and on court. At the end, the most important thing is that I managed to pull this one [out].”

The rallies were tightly contested throughout, with Cozbinov consistently trying to play aggressively as Kuzmanov fended off his opponent’s attacks. The Bulgarian was patient, forcing Cozbinov to go for more and more from neutral positions in the court, leading to some errors after long points. The Bulgarian also tried to use his backhand slice to change the rhythm of rallies.

But Cozbinov was playing for his country, and like he did against Belgium’s Steve Darcis on Friday, the Moldovan battled hard until the end. The 24-year-old surged from 0-4 down in the second set, getting back on serve at 5-5, even after Kuzmanov earned a 40/0 advantage as he served for the match for the first time at 5-4.

Kuzmanov remained calm, though, breaking back in the next game to earn the chance to serve for the match again. Even after falling short in a 40-shot rally on his fourth match point, Kuzmanov sealed his victory with a forehand down the line that Cozbinov couldn’t handle. The Bulgarian fell to the court on his stomach in celebration, getting up and kissing the Bulgarian flag on his shirt.

Both country’s No. 1 singles players competed in the doubles match, with Albot and Cozbinov beating Dimitrov and Alexandar Lazarov 6-4, 7-6(4). That was Moldova’s first match win of the ATP Cup.

Good luck flushing John Millman’s debut ATP Cup win from his memory anytime soon.

The Aussie veteran came to his hometown of Brisbane as his country’s No. 3 singles player and was ready to play a supporting role all week at the inaugural 24-team tournament being played in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney.

But Nick Kyrgios (back pain) pulled out just before his Sunday morning singles match against Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime. Millman, however, more than filled in, beating the 20-year-old #NextGenATP star 6-4, 6-2 to put Australia one match away from doing their part to qualify for the Final Eight in Sydney.

Millman fell behind 1-3, but the veteran settled into his home Pat Rafter Arena, testing Auger-Aliassime with long rallies in steamy conditions. The Canadian finished with 42 unforced errors to 23 winners, and Millman won 11 of the final 14 games.

Australia qualifies for the Final Eight as the Group F winner if Australia defeats Canada and Germany defeats Greece on Sunday evening.

The first round of ATP Cup ties are complete, with each of the 24 countries up and running in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney. With the three highest-ranked players at the ATP Cup making their first appearances, a successful video review challenge and the use of Team Zone technology, Day 2 lived up to all expectations.

Here are 10 of the biggest takeaways from Day 2:

1) Night Session Stars: Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem all made their ATP Cup debuts on Saturday night. Nadal and Djokovic were able to record straight-sets wins for their sides, but Thiem was beaten in three sets by Team Croatia’s Borna Coric.

2) Spain Sweeps Georgia: After Roberto Bautista Agut cruised past Aleksandre Metreveli 6-0, 6-0, World No. 1 Nadal took made his way onto court at RAC Arena for his opening match of the 2020 ATP Tour season against Nikoloz Basilashvili. After struggling to serve the match out, the World No. 1 eventually confirmed the tie victory for Spain with a hard-fought 6-3, 7-5.

3) Serbia’s Solid Start: Djokovic was forced to find his best level at Pat Rafter Arena as he recorded his ninth win in 11 ATP Head2Head encounters against Team South Africa’s Kevin Anderson. The Serbian overcame the 33-year-old 7-6(5), 7-6(6) to earn Team Serbia the victory, adding to Dusan Lajovic’s 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-3 triumph against Lloyd Harris.

4) Croatia Downs Austria: After a strong 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4 comeback for Marin Cilic against Dennis Novak, Coric stunned World No. 4 Thiem to confirm a victory for Team Croatia against Team Austria. The two-time ATP Tour titlist played with aggression in front of a loud crowd at Ken Rosewall Arena to snap a six-match losing streak, battling past the Nitto ATP Finals runner-up for his first Top 10 victory since October 2018.

5) First Win For France: Benoit Paire and Gael Monfils began Team France’s ATP Cup title bid with singles victories against Team Chile. Paire recovered from a set down to battle past Nicolas Jarry, before Monfils confirmed victory for his nation with straight-sets success against Cristian Garin. Garin and Jarry combined to beat Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin in doubles.

6) Monfils Magic: It is fair to say Monfils is no stranger to magical moments on a tennis court. The Frenchman produced another during his win against Garin, showcasing his incredible athleticism to turn the tables on his opponent at Pat Rafter Arena.

7) Argentina Up And Running: Following Guido Pella and Hubert Hurkacz’s three-set wins, doubles took the spotlight on Ken Rosewall Arena with the score tied at 1-1 between Team Argentina and Team Poland. Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni, who own a collective 13 tour-level doubles titles, claimed the win for their country with a 6-2, 6-4 victory against Hurkacz and Lukasz Kubot.

8) Video Review Success: After David Goffin proved unsuccessful with the first ATP Cup video review on Day 1, Hurkacz became the first man to successfully challenge a call with the innovative technology. The 22-year-old challenged the umpire’s decision to replay a point following a late call from a line judge. On review, his opponent Diego Schwartzman was not affected by the call which came after he missed his next shot and the point was awarded to Hurkacz.

9) Tablet Tactician: Pella was one of many ATP Cup stars to take advantage of the available technology in the Team Zone during Day 2. The Argentine watched specific points from earlier in his match on the Team Zone’s tablet device to learn from his mistakes, recovering from a second-set loss to beat Kamil Majchrzak 6-2, 2-6, 6-2.

10) Japan Dominates: Team Japan’s Go Soeda and Yoshihito Nishioka dropped a combined five games en route to establishing an unassailable 2-0 advantage against Team Uruguay. Soeda opened the show in Perth with a 6-1, 6-3 win against Martin Cuevas, while Nishioka raced past Pablo Cuevas 6-0, 6-1. Toshihide Matsui and Ben McLachlan completed the sweep of straight-sets triumphs, beating Ariel Behar and Pablo Cuevas 7-6(5), 6-4.

Stan Wawrinka will face Jeremy Chardy or a qualifier in his opening match of the 2020 ATP Tour season, as he attempts to lift his first Qatar ExxonMobil Open trophy.

The 34-year-old, who is the top seed at the 2019 ATP 250 Tournament of the Year, owns a 6-5 record in Doha. Wawrinka’s best result at the tournament came in 2008, when he reached the championship match (l. to Murray).

If Chardy wins his opening match, the Frenchman will face Wawrinka for the seventh time at tour-level. Wawrinka owns an undefeated 6-0 ATP Head2Head record against the World No. 51, which includes a four-set victory in their most recent meeting at last year’s US Open.

Wawrinka shares the top quarter of the draw with Adrian Mannarino, who opens his campaign against Newport and Chengdu runner-up Alexander Bublik. Mannarino fell to Dusan Lajovic in the opening round on his tournament debut last year.

In the second quarter, fourth seed Milos Raonic will face Tennys Sandgren or a qualifier in the second round, while sixth seed Filip Krajinovic will meet Kyle Edmund in his season opener. Fernando Verdasco and Pablo Andujar also feature in an all-Spanish first-round encounter.

The bottom half of the draw is headlined by 2018 finalist Andrey Rublev (l. to Monfils). The 22-year-old Russian returns for the third straight year, having won five of seven matches in his previous two tournament appearances. Rublev, who is joined in the bottom quarter by fifth seed Laslo Djere, awaits the winner of wild card Malek Jaziri and Mikhail Kukushkin’s first-round clash.

Third seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and eighth seed Frances Tiafoe own the two seeded positions in the third quarter of the draw. Tsonga, the 2012 champion (d. Monfils), will begin his quest for a second trophy in Qatar against Miomir Kecmanovic or Jordan Thompson. Tsonga has reached the quarter-finals or better in each of his three previous visits to Doha, compiling a 9-2 tournament record.

Pavic/Soares Lead Doubles Field
Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares will face wild cards Marton Fucsovics and Verdasco in their first match of the season.

The top seeds, who joined forces at the Fever-Tree Championships in June last year, will be aiming to lift their second title as a team after reaching two championship matches in 2019. Pavic and Soares picked up their maiden team trophy at the Rolex Shanghai Masters (d. Kubot/Melo) before a runner-up finish at the Intrum Stockholm Open (l. to Kontinen/Roger-Vasselin).

Former champions Chardy and Fabrice Martin will also be bidding to claim a second crown in Doha. The 2017 titlists share the top half of the draw with Pavic and Soares and will open their campaign against Divij Sharan and Artem Sitak.

Second seeds Henri Kontinen and Franko Skugor will meet wild cards Malek Jaziri and Rashed Nawaf in their first-round match. The Finnish-Croatian tandem are joined in the bottom half of the draw by Rohan Bopanna and Wesley Koolhof.

Guido Pella had a secret weapon during his win on Saturday at the ATP Cup, but it’s not what you’d expect.

The Argentine made use of one of the 24-team competition’s innovations, going through a tablet in the Team Zone to get updated statistics and look back at previous points during changeovers, helping him adjust tactics accordingly to defeat Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak 6-2, 2-6, 6-2.

“I was looking for specific points, because I think in a few points of the match I did a bad choice for a hit, so I was looking for that particular point,” Pella said. “I think it was a backhand cross when he broke my serve in the second set, and I think that was down the line. It’s very good to have the tablet there, because you can look [at] anything.”

The tablet is one of many innovations at the ATP Cup, with the Team Zone being another. So not only did Pella have access to all that information, but captain Gaston Gaudio and Pella’s personal coach, Jose Acasuso, were there to talk through it all with him.

“In every tournament of the year, we don’t have that kind of stuff on court. So it’s very nice to have the technology by your side, because I think the technology is very good for the sport, because you can look [at] anything,” Pella said. “I was looking for specific points and maybe some things that he was doing very good. I think that helped me a lot.”

Before competing on Saturday evening, Croatian No. 1 Borna Coric did not plan on going out of his way to use the tablet, especially if he was leading.

“For sure I’m going to use it if things are not going well or if I don’t feel well, but if I start playing good and if I see that I’m doing pretty good, I don’t think I’m going to use it too much,” Coric said. “I’m going to say to the coach as well that I expect from him to tell me [the] most important things. But I’m not going to use it too much personally.”

But things changed during his battle with World No. 4 Dominic Thiem. Former World No. 3 Marin Cilic, who won the first match of the tie for Croatia, took a keen interest in the tablet after Coric’s second set, which he dropped 2-6.

“He likes to do it, I think. I’m not a huge fan of that, but he likes it. And he told me [a] couple things,” Coric said. “I did use it, of course. When Marin says do something, obviously it affects [you], it’s there. So I did use it.”

Coric, who did not earn a Top 10 win in 2019, ended up bouncing back to take the decider and upset Thiem.

Bulgaria’s Dimitar Kuzmanov lost his match on Friday against Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie, but it wasn’t because he didn’t have access to enough information on the court. Despite his loss, the World No. 423 enjoyed being able to reference the tablet throughout the match, and according to him, so did those in his Team Zone.

“I saw that they were looking at the tablet since the beginning,” Kuzmanov said. “So they were showing me the stats, especially after the first set. Not showing me, but telling me. Just giving me information how things are going, like percentages and so on.

“The percentage of the returned serves, first and second. First-serve percentage, as well. That’s why I was serving much better in the second, because I was more concentrated on that first serve,” Kuzmanov said. “I couldn’t use the new system regarding the foot fault and the double bounce, but I think any innovation is good for the sport and for the fans, as well, as we see everything happening around here. And we are excited as well about it.”

Former World No. 3 Marin Cilic was in danger of falling victim to the upset bug on Saturday evening at the ATP Cup. But the 18-time tour-level titlist battled hard for his country, riding his experience to a 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4 victory against Dennis Novak. 

“[I’m] very excited. It was absolutely very difficult. Dennis played a great level. It was our first meeting, and it was absolutely a thriller and difficult match… and also a great match to start the year,” Cilic said. “I think the level was really, really good.”

Cilic, whose FedEx ATP Ranking of No. 39 is his lowest since October 2013, lost the first set. But the Croat relied on his serve to turn the tide against the World No. 108, winning all 16 of his service games en route to his first triumph of the season.

“I think everyone who can deal with the nerves, everyone is going to be playing their better selves on the court.
You have your team captain behind you. You have your teammates. They can definitely give you big support. You are feeling that responsibility on the court as well that you want to push, you want to fight, even when you are in some difficult situations,” Cilic said. “When I was a set down, they were encouraging me, and then you also don’t want to disappoint them.”

After two hours and 27 minutes, Cilic struck his 15th ace of the match, crushing an untouched delivery in the ad court down the T before turning to Croatia’s Team Zone with his left fist in the air.

View Official Website, ATPCup.com

Novak received plenty of valuable instruction throughout the match from Austrian captain Thomas Muster, the former World No. 1. But once Cilic got into a rhythm of finding a way to take the first aggressive strike in rallies, Novak was unable to put the match on his racquet, especially during Cilic’s service games. There were also plenty of cat-and-mouse points as the match — a high-quality affair — wore on.

Dominic Thiem, the World No. 4, will try to force a deciding doubles match for Austria. The 2019 Nitto ATP Finals runner-up will play World No. 28 Borna Coric, whom he has won three of four matches against. Thiem has won their three most recent meetings, with all four of their battles coming at ATP Masters 1000 events.

Alexandar Lazarov walked into Ken Rosewall Arena Friday evening without a tour-level or ATP Challenger Tour doubles victory. Even though he had former World No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov on his side of the court for their deciding doubles match against Great Britain, the 22-year-old wasn’t the most confident.

“My first thoughts about the match were just to go out there and not shame myself, not to put him in a bad spot under the spotlight. That was my intention,” Lazarov said. “I didn’t think we could win.”

Not only did the Bulgarians win to spring a big upset on the first day of the ATP Cup, but Lazarov played a key role in his win with Dimitrov against Jamie Murray and Joe Salisbury. As the deciding match went into a Match Tie-break, Lazarov showed no fear of rushing the net against two very accomplished and experienced net players. He clinched the match with an inside-in forehand winner that whizzed past Murray.

“I was trying to be as composed as possible because I knew that if I gave them many chances, they were going to take them. I was just focussed on hitting the shot no matter what happens or who stays on the other side,” Lazarov said. “I just wanted to hit a good volley and if they make the point, they make it. Those guys are top level and Jamie has even won Grand Slams. I’ve been watching these guys on TV, and just to play them is amazing, let alone beat them. I’ll take that as an accomplishment of all the hard work I’ve put in. It’s paying off.”

To add another element to the equation for Lazarov was the time of the match. It started after midnight and ended at 2:46am, with the rest of the Bulgarian team storming the court from the Team Zone.

“It was crazy. At a certain point I didn’t even know what time it was anymore,” Lazarov said. “But I’m grateful for all the people that stayed so late because it’s not easy to be on the court all day and watch and support. It was amazing, really.”

After leaving Ken Rosewall Arena, the Bulgarians celebrated by dancing around together as they listened to music. Understandably, there were plenty of people who rushed to message Lazarov notes of congratulations on his efforts.

“I lost count, to be honest,” Lazarov said of the number of texts he got. “I unfortunately am not able to respond to all of them, but I’ll try to get back to the people somehow.”

What people who watched the thrilling upset might not realise is that Dimitrov and Lazarov had never competed together. Lazarov was thankful to have a player with Dimitrov’s experience on his side to help him through the pressure moments.

“It’s unbelievable… Just to be able to learn from such a player, it’s amazing,” Lazarov said. “He’s one of the most professional guys I’ve ever seen on Tour and it’s very easy to see and to know what you have to work on.”

This was the biggest stage Lazarov has competed on, and not only did he take advantage of it, but he did so for all of Bulgaria.

“I’m still trying [to take it in]. It’s been unbelievable feedback from all the people in my country and it’s just amazing to see how good we get along and we just have fun. It’s amazing,” Lazarov said. “The job is not done, we still have a few more matches. So we’ll try to do our best and hopefully tomorrow we’re going to perform well again and get another win.”

This story could have easily been one of a near upset that fell short. But Dimitrov and Lazarov played daring tennis from down 7/9 in the Match Tie-break to earn their Cinderella moment, and put the rest of the ATP Cup teams on notice.

“I think we showed that the match is not over until the ref says it’s over because at 7/9, most of the time people say they did good and they don’t really try,” Lazarov said. “But we did until the end and sometimes you make it, sometimes you don’t. But the moral of the story is to just never give up and play until the last point. That’s all I want people to remember, because it wouldn’t be possible if we weren’t fighting until the end.”

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal opened his 2020 ATP Tour season with a win to help Team Spain clinch its opening tie against Team Georgia on Saturday night at the inaugural ATP Cup.

Tennis fans turned out in force, waving Spanish flags for Nadal’s first appearance in Perth at the RAC Arena. But the 33-year-old Mallorcan didn’t have things all his own way against Nikoloz Basilashvili, but came through 6-3, 7-5 victory in one hour and 50 minutes.

“It has been positive victory, of course, for me and for the team — 3-0, a good start to the competition,” said Nadal.

“I had the match under control, 5-2 against a good player like Nikoloz. It has been a positive start. Obviously, he played some good games. I made a couple of mistakes, then the match became more difficult. That is it.”

The 24-team event is being played in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney from 3-12 January, with the Final Eight beginning on Thursday in Sydney.

While Nadal was broken in the first game, the Spaniard soon settled and was barely troubled thereafter, until Basilashvili stepped inside the baseline at 2-5 in the second set, to rip two groundstroke winners.

The Georgian, who reached a career-high No. 16 in the FedEx ATP Rankings last year, carried the momentum to recover to 5-5, with Nadal hitting a forehand long when serving for the set for a second time. Basilashvili, now playing on the baseline, was soon dragged wide in rallies as Nadal adopted a new plan.

Ultimately, Nadal refocused and Basilashvili dropped his serve with a backhand error. The World No. 1 soon wrapped up the 68-minute set for his fourth straight win over the 27-year-old Georgian.

“I think I was okay physically at the end of the first set, and then I got cramps a bit at the start of the second set,” said Basilashvili. “In general, I think it was a good match. I really enjoyed it and the court is really nice atmosphere here. Today, I can say many positive things, but obviously playing with Rafa is physically very demanding. I had to put in 100 per cent, and some moments in the beginning of second set I start cramping, but then somehow I recovered a little bit.”

When asked whether he was disappointed not to hold serve at 5-5 in the second set, having come back from 2-5 down, Basilashvili admitted, “I couldn’t really make first serves in general in the whole match, but especially in that moment. I was kind of disappointed. I wanted to win this game a lot, but I could not really push. I could not go 100 per cent on the serve, because I also had elbow surgery last year.”

Nadal clinched year-end No. 1 for the fifth time last year, winning 58 of his 65 matches and lifting four tour-level titles, including a 12th Roland Garros (d. Thiem), a fourth US Open (d. Medvedev) and ATP Masters 1000 crowns at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome (d. Djokovic) and the Coupe Rogers in Montreal (d. Medvedev).

In the first singles match, Roberto Bautista Agut powered his way to victory. The World No. 9 swept past Aleksandre Metreveli of Team Georgia 6-0, 6-0 over 72 minutes in the first singles match of the Group B clash.

“It was a great match and a great start to the tournament,” said Bautista Agut. “I did not have information about him, but I did ask some players who knew him before and had some ideas. I did not see him play. I focused on my game and I knew it was important to start with a break. I wanted to get the advantage. It was good to make the break in the second game. Every match counts and I was to playing full on until the very end.”

Metreveli battled hard throughout, particularly in his first service game that lasted 16 minutes and 22 points, only for Bautista Agut to turn the screw and earn the first break. The 31-year-old ran through the first set in 41 minutes, converting his third set point — and also breaking Metreveli’s serve for a third time — with a crosscourt forehand winner. Metreveli, the No. 2-ranked Georgian, gained his first break point in the first game of the second set, but Bautista Agut fired down a powerful serve and went on to take a 2-0 lead.

Last year, Bautista Agut broke into the Top 10 of the FedEx ATP Rankings on 19 August, compiled a 42-22 match record and lifted one ATP Tour title at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha (d. Berdych).

Team Spain completed a 3-0 victory when Pablo Carreno Busta and Feliciano Lopez, a replacement for Nadal, combined to beat Team Georgia’s Aleksandre Bakshi and George Tsivadze 6-3, 6-4 in the doubles match. Carreno Busta and Lopez, who are 7-1 as a team, won the 2016 China Open title in Beijing.

“It is amazing to start 3-0,” said Team Spain captain Francisco Roig. “Roberto played great match. I think even if it looks easy match, the result was much difficult than what it was… He made very few mistakes.

“Then Rafa had the chance against a very tough opponent like Basilashvili, who always kills the ball. I think after five, six games, he was in control of the game. Then, as [Nadal] said, he had the match in his hands. Pity he missed a volley, [it] could have been 6-3, 6-2. At the end, well, it would have been better to win easy, but also, when you have these situations, it gives you a little bit more experience, experience on these days.”