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| LOS ANGELES, Nov. 15, 2018 -Tennis Channel will provide exclusive, live coverage of the 2018 Davis Cup championship between France and Croatia in Lille, France, beginning Friday, Nov. 23, at 8 a.m. ET. This marks the final entry for a longtime Davis Cup format that has seen the tournament played during multiple weekends throughout the year. Starting in 2019, the Davis Cup will be contested in a season-ending, 18-nation event from Nov. 18-24.
Marin Cilic, World No. 7, leads Croatia next weekend as the team attempts to capture its second Davis Cup title. Defending champion France, which holds 10 titles, is one of history’s most successful tennis nations. Cilic will face Lucas Pouille for the first time since defeating the French player in the 2016 Davis Cup semifinal in Zadar, Croatia. Last year, France won its first Davis Cup title in 16 years with a 3-2 win over Belgium in the final.
The year-end championship competition will consist of two singles matches Friday, Nov. 23, at 8 a.m. ET, followed by the doubles match Saturday, Nov. 24, at 8 a.m. ET. Tennis Channel’s coverage concludes with the remaining singles play Sunday, Nov. 25, at 7 a.m. ET. Each of the five matches is worth one point, with the team that wins at least three points winning the Davis Cup title.
France and Croatia have faced each other twice in Davis Cup play, with the countries tied at one win apiece. However, Croatia won the most recent meeting in the 2016 semifinal in Zadar. Frances’ victory over Croatia came in 2004, when the French won 4-1 in the first round in Metz, France. The French are bidding to claim their 11th Davis Cup crown, which would put them alone in third place on the list of championships won.
Announcer Steve Weissman (@Steve_Weissman) will join former U.S. Davis Cup player Justin Gimelstob (@justingimelstob) and renowned coach Paul Annacone (@Paul_Annacone)on the network’s on-air Davis Cup team.
Tennis Channel’s live Davis Cup Finals coverage is as follows (all time ET):
Friday, Nov. 23: 8 a.m.-Singles
Saturday, Nov. 24: 8 a.m.-Doubles
Sunday, Nov. 25:7 a.m. – Singles
The French team comes into the competition after an impressive 3-0 semifinal victory over Spain, also in Lille. France’s captain Yannick Noah will lead Pouille, Jeremy Chardy, Pierre-Hugues Herbert, Nicolas Mahut and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga into the final.
Croatia enters the championship for the second time in three years after a 3-2 win over the United States in its semifinal. It finished second in 2016 and won its first Davis Cup title in 2005. Croatia is captained by Zeljko Krajan and features Cilic, Borna Coric, Franko Skugor, Mate Pavic and Ivan Dodig.
Viewers can also catch Davis Cup matches on-demand on Tennis Channel Plus. The digital subscription service is available to everybody in the United States regardless of whether they currently subscribe to the television network.
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