DAVIS CUP 2025 PREVIEW: JAPAN vs GREAT BRITAIN

Kei Nishikori headlines Team Japan

Team Japan welcome a depleted Team GB to the remarkable Bourbon Beans Dome outside of Miki City, for an intriguing 2025 Davis Cup Qualifiers first-round tie, beginning on Friday.

First a word on the venue. The Bourbon Beans Dome has rapidly emerged as one of the iconic arenas on the Challenger Tour, hosting the annual Kobe Challenger each November. Located in the Miki Disaster Prevention Park, established after the 1995 Kobe Earthquake, the exterior of the stainless-steel Dome is almost completely covered with grass. There are nine courts under the Dome, four on either side of Center.

While it’s not exactly handy for the downtowns of either Kobe or Miki, being located in a huge park roughly equidistant between the two, the Dome is a must on any Challenger fan’s bucket list.

The build-up for the visitors has been, to use that word again, challenging. With Jack Draper an early withdrawal with a hip injury, Team GB was set to be headlined by Cam Norrie until the former world number eight himself was forced to pull out through illness.

That means that Leon Smith’s squad will be led by Jacob Fearnley. Like Norrie a Texas Christian University alumnus, Fearnley has made a flawless transition to the pro-Tour. He comes in having beaten Nick Kyrgios on his way to the third round of the Australian Open, where he was dispatched by eventual finalist Alexander Zverev, and looks destined for a much higher ranking than his current 77 very quickly.

Fearnley is very good on indoor courts and will be a match for anyone the home team sends out, as will the Doubles pairing of Neal Skupski and Joe Salisbury, both Grand Slam winners in their discipline. Billy Harris is likely to play the second singles while veteran Jan Choinski has been drafted in as cover following Norrie’s withdrawal.

For Team Japan, Kei Nishikori is back and while injuries are always a concern, his form has been good as he started off the year with a run to the final in the ATP 250 in Hong Kong, beating Denis Shapovalov, Karen Khachanov, Norrie and Jerry Shang. He then came through a monumental five-setter with Thiago Monteiro in the opening round of the Australian Open before going down to Tommy Paul in four in round 2.

In Hong Kong, Tennis Asia asked Nishikori about the Davis Cup and he was enthusiastic about a competition that he hasn't always made a priority:

"I cannot wait to play Davis Cup. Before I wanted to be top 10 and I wanted to keep top 10 so that's why it didn't fit my schedule to play Davis Cup, even though it is always fun. It just gives me a different passion to play Davis Cup, I really enjoyed the September tie against Colombia (and that's why I try to play again.)"

Nishikori defeated Fearnley in straight sets when they faced each other in the Quarter Finals of the Helsinki Challenger 125 last November, a tournament Nishikori went on to win. Their re-match here is the box office clash of the tie.

Japan can also turn to Yoshihito Nishioka. While dental records were needed to identify him following his mauling by Carlos Alcaraz in Round 2 at Melbourne Park, it’s not really fair to base judgement of anybody on how they fare against Alcaraz in a Slam.

With Taro Daniel out, he has been replaced by Yasutaka Uchiyama who won the Busan Challenger 125 in April 2024 and added another in China in August, and is capable in both singles and doubles. If selected, he will go in as an underdog to Fearnley and be a toss-up against Harris.

Rounding out Team Japan are Yosuke Watanuki and Takeru Yuzuki. Watanuki pulled off a win over Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the Australian Open qualifiers before falling emphatically to Blake Ellis. He has reached as high as the top 80 and offers an option in either singles or doubles.

Yuzuki is a Doubles specialist who is currently at a career high of 144. Standing at 196cm tall, he is an imposing presence who can test Salisbury and Skupski physically. He had a solid 2024, most often playing with compatriot Seita Watanabe. Most recently the pair lost in the first round of the Australian Open to Santiago Gonzalez and Lucas Miedler. It will be interesting to see who captain Go Soeda pairs him with for the probably crucial Doubles rubber.

Team GB has the edge in doubles and in Fearnley, possibly in the top singles too, that recent loss to Nishikori in Finland notwithstanding. It’s one of the more fascinating ties of the round and the Bourbon Beans Dome on Friday will be the place to be.