AUSTRALIA 1, GERMANY 1
Venue: Pat Rafter Arena, Brisbane, AUS (hard- outdoor)

Australia, the 28-time champion, is level at 1-1 with three-time winner Germany after the opening singles rubbers on Friday.

World No. 5 Alexander Zverev was pushed all the way by Sydney International finalist Alex de Minaur before prevailing 7-5, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) in just under four hours. The German No. 1 trailed by two sets to one and found himself down 0-3 (40-A) when serving in the decider, but found a way back into the match and secured a vital first point for the visiting nation with a final-set tie-break win. “I hope that will be the deciding point to get the win,” said Zverev. “We need three points, we’ve got one. We’ve got two more to go.”

Competing in front of a passionate home crowd on his Davis Cup debut, the 18-year-old described the match as “the best four hours of my life”, but expressed mixed emotions after missing the opportunity to pull off the biggest upset of his young career. “I couldn’t be more devastated. I left it all out there on the court and at the moment I’m just feeling pretty bad, but overall I’m really proud of my effort,” said de Minaur.

Nick Kyrgios soon levelled proceedings in Queensland, with a solid 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win over Jan-Lennard Struff to end the day and take the tie into the doubles third rubber on Saturday at 1-1. Australian captain Lleyton Hewitt took time to praise Kyrgios after the match in what was a tough situation after losing the first match of the tie. “Everybody expects him to take care of these matches,” said Hewitt. “I’ve been in that position before and it’s not an easy thing to do. What he did today and how he served was fantastic.”

German captain Michael Kohlmann was complimentary of Australia’s opening day display before looking ahead to Saturday’s action. “I think we have to admit that Alex de Minaur played a great match, he’s a great kid, and I think he showed a lot of heart… and Nick (Kyrgios) today was serving too good,” assessed Kohlmann. “In the end, it’s one-all, it’s okay, we can live with that, and we are ready now for the doubles.”

SPAIN 1, GREAT BRITAIN 1
Venue: Club de Tenis Puente Romano, Marbella, ESP (clay – outdoor)

Spain looked set for a 2-0 lead over Great Britain in Marbella after winning the first rubber in straight sets and leading the second match by two-sets-to-love. But Cameron Norrie, competing in his first Davis Cup tie, in his first match on clay, came from two-sets-to-love down to stun Roberto Bautista Agut and end the first day at 1-1.

Five-time champion Spain, competing at home for the first time since 2013, started well to take a 1-0 advantage through Albert Ramos-Vinolas. The World No. 21 defeated Davis Cup debutant Liam Broady 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(6) in just over two and a half hours.

Ramos-Vinolas, competing in his first live rubber, was impressed by his No. 165 ranked opponent. “I think he played a great match,” said Ramos-Vinolas. “He was fighting all the match… all the sets were very close.”

ASB Classic champion Bautista Agut appeared to be on the verge of doubling his nation’s advantage, winning the first two sets for the loss of just seven games. But No. 114 Norrie stormed back, recording one of the upsets of the first day to beat Bautista Agut 4-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 and take the tie into Saturday’s third rubber on level terms.

JAPAN 1, ITALY 1
Venue: Morioka Takaya Arena, Morioka, JPN (hard – indoor)

There were no easy wins in Morioka on Friday as Japan and Italy both won five-set rubbers to end the day at 1-1. Italy’s Fabio Fognini came from two-sets to one down, firing 56 winners, to overcome Taro Daniel 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 after nearly four hours of play.

Japan’s Yuichi Sugita replied with a five-set win of his own in the second rubber of the tie, coming from a set down to edge Andreas Seppi for a final-set tie-break win 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(1) .

KAZAKHSTAN 2, SWITZERLAND 0
Venue: National Tennis Centre, Astana, KAZ (hard – indoor)

Kazakhstan moved to within one match win of a 10th win in 11 home ties since 2008 after victories for Dmitry Popko and Mikhail Kukushkin in Astana. Popko upset Henri Laaksonen in the opening rubber with clinical play, converting 71 per cent of his break-point opportunities (5/7), to triumph 6-2, 7-6(7), 3-6, 7-5 in just over three hours.

Kukushkin doubled the home nation’s advantage with another four-set win at the National Tennis Centre to beat Adrian Bodmer 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3. The Kazakh No. 1 won 75 per cent of points behind his first serve to move Switzerland a loss away from a fourth consecutive opening-round defeat since winning the title in 2014.

AUSTRALIA vs. GERMANY
Brisbane, Australia (Outdoor Hard)

Australia and Germany meet in a repeat of the 1993 Davis Cup final (Germany d. Australia) in Brisbane this weekend. World No. 5 Alexander Zverev leads a German team looking to win just its second World Group opener since 2011 and will be joined by Jan-Lennard Struff, Peter Gojowczyk and Tim Puetz.

The home side, which has reached the World Group semi-finals twice in the past three years, is spearheaded by Nick Kyrgios with Matthew Ebden, John Millman, breakout star Alex de Minaur and John Peers completing the team.

FRANCE vs. NETHERLANDS
Albertville, France (Indoor Hard)

Defending champion France will look to win their 11th tie in 11 meetings against the Netherlands this weekend in Albertville. France, which ended its 16-year wait for a 10th Davis Cup title in Lille last November, is led by World No. 17 Lucas Pouille and World No. 33 Richard Gasquet, with two-time Grand Slam winning doubles duo Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut completing the line-up.

The Netherlands will look to score its first win over French opposition with the five-man squad of Robin Haase, Tallon Griekspoor, Thiemo de Bakker, Matwe Middelkoop and Jean-Julien Rojer.

BELGIUM vs HUNGARY
Liege, Belgium (Indoor Hard)

Belgium starts its campaign for a first Davis Cup title, after two runner-up finishes in three years, against Hungary in Liege. Led by Nitto ATP Finals finalist David Goffin, Belgium will search for an eighth win in the 13th meeting of the two European nations. World No. 7 Goffin will be joined by Ruben Bemelmans, Julien Cagnina and Joris De Loore.

At No. 18, Hungary is the lowest ranked nation in the 2018 World Group and will be represented by an in-form Marton Fucsovics, who reached the Australian Open fourth round (l. Federer). Attila Balazs, Zsombor Piros, Mate Valkusz and Gabor Borsos complete the team.

SPAIN vs. GREAT BRITAIN
Marbella, Spain (Outdoor Clay)

Third seed Great Britain travel to Marbella to meet Spain in the 14th meeting between the two nations (Great Britain leads 8-5). Great Britain is led by No. 114 Cameron Norrie and No. 165 Liam Broady with Kyle Edmund on the sidelines ready to step in if he recovers from a hip injury in time. The squad is completed by doubles duo Jamie Murray and Dominic Inglot.

The 2015 champion will meet a Spanish team represented by five Top 40 players as Pablo Carreno Busta, Albert Ramos-Vinolas, Roberto Bautista Agut, Feliciano Lopez and David Ferrer compete in the first tie on Spanish soil in five years.

CROATIA vs. CANADA
Osijek, Croatia (Indoor Clay)

No. 4 seed Croatia will start its 2018 Davis Cup World Group campaign against Canada at home in the eastern city of Osijek. Croatia, like Great Britain, has its No. 1 available player, Marin Cilic, on standby for the tie with No. 47 Borna Coric taking the lead role. Viktor Galovic, Franko Skugor and Ivan Dodig complete the team.

Looking to win its first away tie since 2011, Canada is represented by #NextGenATP star Denis Shapovalov, Vasek Pospisil, Peter Polansky, player/captain Frank Dancevic and Daniel Nestor.

KAZAKHSTAN vs. SWITZERLAND
Astana, Kazakhstan (Indoor Hard)

Former champion Switzerland faces Kazakhstan in Astana for a place in the World Group quarter-finals. The two nations meet for the third time after splitting the previous two meetings, including a 5-0 win in Astana for Kakakhstan. Switzerland will call on Henri Laaksonen, Adrian Bodmer, Marc-Andrea Huesler, Antoine Bellier and Luca Margaroli as it looks to avoid a fourth consecutive first-round defeat.

With nine wins out of 10 at home since 2008, Kazakhstan will be tough to beat with Mikhail Kukushkin, Dmitry Popko, Aleksandr Nedovyesov, Roman Khassanov and Timur Khabibulin keen to reach the World Group quarter-finals for a fifth time.

SERBIA vs. USA
Nis, Serbia (Indoor Clay)

In the third chapter of their Davis Cup history, Serbia hosts the United States of America in Nis. Serbia won both previous meetings with decisive fourth-rubber wins from Novak Djokovic, but will be without its star man this weekend. Leading the line-up is No. 84 Dusan Lajovic, who is joined by Laslo Djere, Nikola Milojevic, Pedja Krstin and Miljan Zekic.

Jim Courier’s men will fancy their chances of a first win over Serbia with a strong team making the trip as Sam Querrey, John Isner, Ryan Harrison and Steve Johnson look to reach the quarter-finals for the third year in a row.

JAPAN vs. ITALY
Morioka, Japan (Indoor Hard)

In their first meeting in 86 years, Italy travels to Japan for the first time in Davis Cup history. Eighth seed Italy looks to seal its spot in the last eight for the fifth time in six years this weekend and will lay its hopes on No. 22 Fabio Fognini, Paolo Lorenzi, Andreas Seppi, Thomas Fabbiano and Simone Bolelli.

However, Japan’s Yuichi Sugita, Taro Daniel, Go Soeda, Yasutaka Uchiyama and Ben Mclachlan aim to upset the 1976 champion and reach the quarter-finals for just the second time in World Group history.

If Kei Nishikori wishes to return to the Top 10 in the ATP Rankings, only hard work on- and off-the-court will satisfy his coaches Michael Chang and Dante Bottini.

Last week, in his return to competitive play for the first time in five months, Nishikori lost to Dennis Novikov on the ATP Challenger Tour in Newport Beach, but there are already signs of progress. The Japanese star has bounced back this week in Dallas, returning to the Challenger circuit to exact immediate revenge on Novikov, and now finds himself in the quarter-finals after a three-set win over Matthias Bachinger.

Chang and Bottini, who both coach Nishikori, shared their thoughts with ATPWorldTour.com on the return of the 2014 US Open finalist. “I think he has been getting better every day,” said Chang. “It was a good test for him to play Dennis (Novikov), losing to him in Newport Beach and then coming to play him first round here [in Dallas], where you saw a much different result. He hasn’t played matches now in five months, so it’s nice to be out there and get used to the crowd, the atmosphere and get matches under his belt.”

“His [first round] was much better than last week [in Newport Beach],” added Bottini. “I saw him with a little more confidence, thinking better. Every week he has been improving in practice. I am happy to see him back on the court, with good spirit, winning.”

After hours of practice sets in recent weeks, former World No. 2 Chang and Bottini were clear in their assessment of what Nishikori needed moving forwards. Competing for the first time since the Rogers Cup in August 2017, the 11-time tour-level titlist needs time, in tournament play, to sharpen his abilities.

“He needs more matches,” said Bottini. “That is why we are here playing Challengers. We have been practising a lot the past couple of months and now what he needs are matches and point situations, being in certain scenarios during matches.

“[He needs] to get back to match toughness,” assessed Chang. “He has been getting more and more comfortable with that and improving little by little.”

Chang remains the youngest ever Grand Slam champion after winning Roland Garros in 1989 at the age of 17, and with his experience on the tour, knows the hard work that needs to be done by his charge to return to the top level.

“We take it in stages, telling him to keep a proper perspective and to continue to keep working. As he continues to work hard, to put the effort into his practices, his practice matches and his main matches, he is just going to keep getting better,” said Chang.

Both coaches were cautious of setting goals so early into the latest comeback of the Japanese star, who has struggled with injuries in recent years. A strong emphasis on work rate and health from both men has been placed above results and his position in the ATP Rankings.

“I think [the main goal is] for him to be able to go out there and play the way he wants to play, the way that got him to beat the best players in the world, the way that got him to No. 4 in the ATP Rankings. That is important. I’m not so concerned about the winning and losing at this point. My goal is, every day, for him to put forth 100 per cent effort and we’ll take it from there,” said Chang.

[The aim is] just to stay healthy and play as many matches as he can,” explained Bottini. “That is going to help him reach the level that we want and that he had the last couple of years. No worries about ranking, or setting goals. Just go match by match, day-by-day and stay healthy and I think that the results are going to come along.

With the inaugural New York Open marked as Nishikori’s ATP World Tour return event, Chang hopes that Nishikori can ‘work out the cobwebs’ in his game in Dallas, to put himself in the best possible position to start the process of rediscovering his best form.

“I hope by the time he reaches New York, he’ll be completely in the mindset, match tough and ready to go and start his year on the ATP World Tour,” said Chang.

Gael Monfils show most facets – if not all – of his likable personality in #lamonfstory, a new web series that documents Monfils’ rehab and recovery from a right-knee injury in 2017.

The Frenchman is serious, discussing how he has drawn inspiration from Roger Federer’s own comeback from his knee injury. Monfils is playful, sprinting around the court and shouting after a point in practice. He is also focused, practising intensely with Grigor Dimitrov in South Florida.

“I feel it. I feel it’s back,” Monfils tells his coach Mikael Tillstrom while practising with Dimitrov.

Watch #lamonfstory Now

Episode One

After his best year in 2016, when Monfils reached a career-high of No. 6 and qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time, he struggled with injuries for much of 2017. The three-part series chronicles Monfils’ comeback and his passion for the sport.

The 31-year-old seems fully recovered, judging by his strong play. He has started the new season 5-1, winning the Qatar ExxonMobil Open title in Doha (d. Rublev). Monfils fell to Novak Djokovic in the second round of the Australian Open.

Next, Monfils plans to head to South America for the “Golden Swing”, entering the Ecuador Open in Quito, the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires, the Rio Open presented by Claro and the Brasil Open in Sao Paolo.

Episode Two

Episode Three

Roger Federer arrived back home in Switzerland after winning his 20th Grand Slam championship crown at the Australian Open on Sunday to great fanfare at Airport Kloten in Zurich.

Holding the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup under his arm, the Swiss signed autographs for fans and posted for photographs on Tuesday as he made his way through the concourse.

The 36-year-old is now just 155 points behind Rafael Nadal, who is currently No. 1 in the ATP Rankings, following his 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 final victory over Marin Cilic in Melbourne.

In the immediate aftermath of the final, Federer received a congratulatory phone call from Switzerland’s President Alain Berset. On Monday, Blick, the country’s only tabloid newspaper, charged only 20 cents for their latest edition (compared to the normal price of 2.50 Swiss Francs) and had Federer’s face mocked up on a coin.