Top 10 stars Stefanos Tsitsipas and Holger Rune might have stolen the headlines, but 12 nations have booked their place in the World Group I in September following the completion of the 2023 World Group I Play-offs this weekend.
World No. 3 Tsitsipas flew in from Melbourne, where he had reached the final of the Australian Open, to lead Greece to a 3-1 victory against Ecuador in front of a sell-out crowd at the Olympic Athletic Center of Athens.
The 24-year-old notched a pair of wins in singles and explained afterwards that this is just the beginning of his country’s ambitions in the competition.
“I have the opportunity to play in big stages all over the world, but not like this,” said Tsitsipas, who was cheered on by 12,000 home fans. “I hope that in a few years, we will be able to play in big stadiums in Athens.
“We want to play here in a Davis Cup final. I believe that if it happens, it will be unforgettable. We have the opportunity to be among the best countries in the world and our goal is to qualify. We can compare that tournament to the World Cup. In September, we will have our chance to fight for qualification.”
World No. 9 Rune enjoyed similarly emphatic support from his home fans, just a week on from the 19-year-old’s run to the fourth round at the Australian Open.
"It's an absolutely amazing feeling,” said Rune, who was instrumental in Denmark’s 3-2 win against India in Hillerod. “It's been a crazy-good few days with insane support from all the people who have come and watched us play. It's not often that I come to Denmark to play.
"It's really nice to have a Danish flag on my shirt and come home in this amazing backdrop and play the Davis Cup for my country."
Japan defeated Poland 4-0 at the Bourbon Beans Dome to ensure a safe passage to World Group I in September, from where they will be looking to advance to the 2024 Davis Cup Qualifiers.
Other nations to win in the World Group I Play-offs were: Bulgaria, Brazil, Chinese Taipei, Israel, Lithuania, Peru, Romania, Turkiye and Ukraine.
World Group II Play-offs
There were also 12 home-and-away ties taking place in the World Group II ties this weekend. The full list of winners can be found on the World Group II Play-offs page.
At the time of writing, nine nations have secured their place in World Group II in September – Barbados, Egypt, El Salvador, Georgia, Indonesia, Luxembourg, Monaco, Morocco and Tunisia.
The tie between Zimbabwe and Uruguay will be completed on Monday 6 February due to rain
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