FORMER WORLD NUMBER Three Dominic Thiem has been named in the Austrian team to face Ireland in the Davis Cup this weekend.
Thiem, who won the US Open in 2020, is the headline act in an Austrian team facing off against Ireland in Limerick for promotion to World Group I in the Davis Cup, the competition’s second tier.
Named alongside Thiem in the Austrian team alongside Sebastian Ofner, Alexander Erler, and Lucas Miedler.
Injury absence has seen Thiem plunge to 90th in the world rankings, meaning Sebastian Ofner is the highest-ranked singles player on the Austrian team, at 40. Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler are doubles specialists, ranked at 37th and 39th respectively.
The fifth selected member of the Austrian team, Filip Misolic, is out with illness, and he has not been replaced.
Ireland’s five-man squad of Osgar O’hOisin, Michael Agwi, Conor Gannon, David O’Hare and Simon Carr face a daunting task this weekend: none of them have yet cracked the top 500 of the ATP singles rankings.
The matches will be played on Saturday and Sunday with two singles on the opening day and then a doubles and two further singles played on Sunday.
The University of Limerick is a 3,000-sell-out for the tie, in what is Ireland’s first Davis Cup tie at home since 2015.
The Irish squad are captained by Conor Niland, who rose to 129 in the world’s singles rankings at his peak.
