The Korean men’s tennis team, which reached the finals of the Davis Cup, a tennis national competition for two consecutive years for the first time in history, will clash with Serbia, led by Novak Djokovic, the ‘strongest player’ who won 24 major championships.
Korea, led by coach Kim Young-jun (Konkuk University) and coach Lim Yong-gyu, will play the first match against Serbia in Group C of the 2023 Davis Cup Finals group stage in Valencia, Spain at 10 p.m. on the 12th (hereinafter Korean time).
A total of 16 teams participate in the Davis Cup finals, known as the ‘Tennis World Cup’, divided into four groups. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Davis Cup Finals to be held in Malaga, Spain in November.
The team consists of Kwon Soon-woo (107th place, Dangjin City Hall), Hong Seong-chan (204th place, Sejong City Hall), Jeong Yun-seong (313th place, Uijeongbu City Hall), Nam Ji-seong (doubles 123rd place, Sejong City Hall), and Song Min-gyu (doubles 171st place, KDB Industrial Bank). Korea was in Group C along with Spain, Serbia, and the Czech Republic.
Korea will clash with Serbia on the 12th, the Czech Republic on the 14th, and Spain on the 17th.
Korea had previously lost twice to Spain and once to Serbia in the Davis Cup. Meeting the Czech Republic for the first time.먹튀검증
Korea, which played the group stage in Valencia last year, won its first doubles win against Serbia in the Davis Cup finals, but lost the game 1-2 and lost 0-3 to Spain, failing to advance to the quarterfinals.
Korea, which has yet to win in the Davis Cup, is aiming for its first win, but looking at it objectively, it is not an easy situation.
First of all, Serbia, the opponent for the first match, has Djokovic (world No. 1 in singles), who won the US Open and won the most men’s singles wins (24) in major competitions in history.
In addition, Laszlo Djere (37th), Miomir Kecmanovic (48th), Dusan Lajovic (52nd), and Nikola Kacic are waiting to appear, so a difficult match is expected.
The Czech Republic that he will face later include Irzy Lehetzka (30th), Tomas Makhac (119th), Jakub Mencik (151st), and Adam Pavlasek.
In terms of rankings, they are considered a worthy opponent, but the power gap with Korea is still large.
The last opponent, Spain, was missing Carlos Alcaraz (2nd place), who attracted the most attention.
However, there are many players ranked in the top 100 or lower, such as Alejandro Davidovic Fokina (25th), Albert Ramosvinolas (95th), and Bernabe Zapata Mirajes (75th), which poses a threat.
Nevertheless, the national team is determined to overcome the challenges as a ‘one team.’
Coach Kim Young-jun said, “Korea has stronger teamwork than any other country,” and added, “I will lead the coaching staff and players as a team so that they can do their best in their respective roles.”
Captain Song Min-gyu also expressed his determination, saying, “I trained with full confidence, looking only ahead,” and added, “I will try to realistically aim for one win.”