The consequences of the elimination of Argentina in the Davis Cup

The elimination of Argentina at the hands of Finland this weekend has been a very hard setback for Argentine tennis, which is one of the countries where the most Davis cup. In fact, the defeat they have suffered in Espoo has made them doubt Guillermo Coriathe captain, and that the future of the country in the competition is uncertain, since in the month of September they will have to play a tie to stay in the World group and try to play the finals in 2024, but the absence of big names in the calls and the difficulties they are having away from home makes many already think that it will not be easy to hold on in this group.

Guillermo Coria assumed the captaincy of the Davis team at the beginning of 2022 with the aim of competing in each tie that Argentina played, but above all, with the mission of convincing the best players to defend the colors of their country, something that he did well at beginning, with a victory against the Czech Republic that ensured the team’s presence in the group stage, but which later failed to continue after conceding three painful defeats in Bologna, which also deprived the AAT to pocket the 500,000 thousand dollars that he would have taken to get the ticket to the quarterfinals of the tournament.

That defeat, added to the one that occurred in Finland, is blamed on Coria above all for the manners, since last year in Bologna they consider that the strategy was not successful and that there were also several differences in the dressing room. In addition, this season they consider that despite being a difficult match, the captain has not had the ability to convince Diego Schwartzman, Sebastián Báez or Horacio Zeballos, the best doubles player in the country, which has Left in a sticky situation. “Finland was a fair winner, they took advantage of their opportunities and had a tennis player like Ruusuvuori who played spectacular throughout the series. The team lived up to it, we competed. We leave hurt and hot, because we don’t like to lose. I feel sad for the boys who came here and showed their faces ”, Coria explained his feelings to the Davis Cup, which is expected to continue in September, but not next year.

THE GREAT ABSENCES

It is evident that both Diego Schwartzman as Sebastian Baez They have preferred to prepare for the clay court tour of South America with guarantees than to go to Finland to play on a completely different surface and then have to return to Argentina to face what for them is one of the most important parts of the year. Coria is blamed for this fact for not having had the capacity for conviction, since the defeat has also meant the fourth consecutive series with defeat for Argentina, for which it equals the worst streak in the history of the South American team, which is increased when they play away from home, far from the clay and a totally dedicated audience.

—- Guillermo Coria: “The boys leave calm because each one in their role did their best. But this is tennis, we faced a very solid team that made the most of their locality”#Davis cup @AATenis pic.twitter.com/q7jlOknfS3

— Davis Cup (@DavisCup) February 5, 2023

The absence of these great players meant that the team arrived in Finland full of players who lacked experience in these events, such as Facundo Bagnis, Francisco Cerúndolo and Pedro Cachín, who also suffer in conditions as fast as those in Espoo, made the team The Argentine team could not overcome the loss of Cerúndolo, who could not compete on the second day of the series. In addition, Mago Coria was seen with hardly any support within the AAT, since neither Calleri nor Zabaleta, the strong men of the AAT leadership, traveled to Finland.

This fact hinted that the future of Guillermo Coria seems far from the captaincy of Davis and that after the month of September, where Argentina will fight not to descend to World Group II, Coria will stop being the captain and the AAT will bet on a profile different from his and that of Gastón Gaudio, two bets that have not turned out as expected, so they will look for a different profile, with less name but greater group management.