Joao Sousa: 'Davis Cup finals will be great event and we want to be there'
Davis Cup Commitment Award winner Joao Sousa has been off to a great season, reaching the third round at the Australian Open in singles and the semi-final in double, standing as the only player in the top-40 on both ATP singles and doubles lists! The 29-year-old Portuguese will try to crack the top-30 again in 2019 but before he goes and chases ATP wins and points, Joao will open the 12th consecutive season in the national jersey, leading Portugal against Kazakhstan in Davis Cup Qualifiers.
After 52 Davis Cup ties for his country in Group I and II, Joao will experience the top-tier level of competition for the first time, traveling to the Kazakhstan capital of Astana where he will battle against Mikhail Kukushkin and Alexander Bublik at the National Tennis Center on an indoor hard court. The winner of this tie will have the opportunity to play at Davis Cup finals in November with 17 other countries and Joao will give his best to secure the spot in Madrid for Portugal. It will not be easy, though, with Kazakhstan winning ten of the last 11 Davis Cup home ties, but Sousa is confident about the abilities of his team and their chances to grab the first away win since beating Moldova back in 2013.
“It will be great news for Portugal to be in the Finals of Davis Cup,” said Sousa. “I think the new Finals is a great event. I’ve always played Davis Cup in my life and it’s going to be, for sure, a great event to be a part of. We are expecting a tough tie. We’re playing away so we’re expecting a strong team from them. For sure it’s going to be a tough one for us. We’ll prepare as good as we can, we’ll give our best and we’ll try to win. Of course, it’s their conditions, their balls, their courts, their crowd, but in the end, the team that wins is the one who plays better tennis.
We hope its two days of great tennis, also for the Kazakhstan fans. If we can win the tie it would be great for Portugal. It’s a different feeling playing Davis Cup. Of course, you always try to give your best whether you’re playing for your country or not, but in the end you try to represent your country as good as you can and of course there’s a little bit more pressure. Now I’m a little bit more experienced as a player so I don’t get as nervous as I did in the early years, but it’s always an honor for me to represent my country.”
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2WsLFOW
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