2019 Davis Cup Finals – ATP Tennis Preview

The 2019 edition of the Davis Cup represents a largely new event. It is not completely new, but there are a lot of changes. The first qualifying round of the year in winter is held under the longstanding and traditional Davis Cup format but the Davis Cup Finals are a new thing.

There are 18 nations in one place – Madrid – for the finals. This is different from the normal Davis Cup format in which two nations meet not at a neutral site, but in one of the two participating countries. That is the “home versus road” format people have long associated with the Davis Cup, with two nations playing best-of-five-set matches over a three-day weekend, Friday through Sunday.

This year’s version – the new version – is a neutral-site tournament held over the course of one full week. On the first four days, there will be group-stage competition in which six three-team groups (comprising the 18 nations in the finals) will battle to advance to the quarterfinals.

The three team groups will have round-robin play with each other. Each meeting of two teams will have three matches – two singles, one doubles – all best-of-three sets. This format – three matches, two singles, one doubles, all of best of three – will carry through the quarterfinals, semifinals, and the championship round.

The winners of each of the six groups will automatically advance. Then there will be the two top second-place teams – with the most sets and games won in a numerical comparison with the other second-place teams – to round out the eight quarterfinalists. Thursday, Nov. 21 and Friday, Nov. 22 will involve the four quarterfinals. Saturday, Nov. 23 will involve the two semifinals. Sunday, Nov. 24 will feature the championship round of the Davis Cup Finals.

This is all new. No one knows what to expect. This is a first-of-its-kind event. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the 2019 Davis Cup betting odds for this event and the best bets to make.

EVENT: DAVIS CUP FINALS
CATEGORY: ITF
DATE: NOVEMBER 18-24, 2019
LOCATION: LA CAJA MAGICA (THE MAGIC BOX) – MADRID, SPAIN

LAST 5 CHAMPIONS

2018 – CROATIA
2017 – FRANCE
2016 – ARGENTINA
2015 – GREAT BRITAIN
2014 – SWITZERLAND

BEST BET TO WIN IT

This tournament is so new that it makes betting a risky proposition. We don’t know how players are going to react or perform. If you think you have a strong idea, you are speaking without knowledge. The most reasonable thing to do is compare the teams on paper and see if one team will be more comfortable than others. The natural answer is Spain, the host nation.

Spain has Rafael Nadal and top-10 player Roberto Bautista-Agut. Spain also has a top-10 doubles player, Marcel Granollers (ranked No. 8 in doubles). Other nations such as Russia and Italy have two players in the top 16, but Nadal-Bautista seems like the strongest singles combination, plus a good doubles player in Granollers.

If you were to pick a champion, Spain is the best choice with a limited amount of information.

BEST LONGSHOT WORTH A FLIER

Canada doesn’t have players ranked in the top 15, but it does have players ranked just outside the top 15 and within the top 35: Milos Raonic, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Denis Shapovalov. These are not top-tier players, but they could all get hot and carry Canada to a deep run. Not all nations in Madrid will have three singles players as good as Canada. Doubles will obviously be the tough part for the Canadians.

TEAM TO AVOID

Croatia, the defending Davis Cup champion, has its top two players in bad situations. Marin Cilic and Borna Coric both endured terrible years, ironically because they played in the 2018 Davis Cup Finals and lacked the time needed to build back their games in the offseason, which was shorter than it was for other players. Croatia just doesn’t have anyone who seems capable of doing anything at this event.

2019 ODDS TO WIN DAVIS CUP

SPAIN +325
FRANCE +500
CROATIA +600
SERBIA +700
AUSTRALIA +800
USA +800
GERMANY +1000
RUSSIA +1000
ARGENTINA +1400
GREAT BRITAIN +2000
ITALY +2500
CANADA +2800
BELGIUM +5000
CHILE +6600

Get the latest tennis betting odds and information–follow BetOnline.ag on Twitter!

BetOnline.ag on Instagram–Follow for the latest odds, stats and information!