World Group first round clash will be played in Spain in February 2018. It's the first meeting between the countries since 1986 which Great Britain won 4-1 in Telford
Thursday 21 September 2017 15:51, UK
Great Britain will kick off their 2018 Davis Cup World Group campaign with a daunting first-round away tie against Spain.
Britain, led by captain Leon Smith, will be on the hunt for an 11th title following their famous triumph in the 2015 final over hosts Belgium.
But Spain, seeking a sixth Davis Cup title, have not lost at home in the competition since 1999, winning the last 24 ties they have hosted.
They can also boast world No 1 Rafael Nadal in their ranks as well as current top-20 players Pablo Carreno Busta and Roberto Bautista-Agut.
The tie could see Andy Murray face off against old foe Nadal in a match which will almost certainly be played on clay - just five days after the conclusion of the Australian Open in Melbourne.
If Great Britain progress, they will face either Australia (away) or Germany (home) in the quarter-finals in April. If they lose, they would need to win a September play-off to preserve their World Group status.
This year's finalists France and Belgium are at home to the Netherlands and Hungary respectively.
Australia, beaten 3-2 by Belgium in last weekend's semi-final, will start next year's campaign against Germany with the United States, the record 32-time champions, travelling to Serbia.
World Group first round
France v Netherlands
Japan v Italy
Spain v Great Britain
Australia v Germany
Kazakhstan v Switzerland
Croatia v Canada
Serbia v USA
Hungary v Belgium
The ties will be played from February 2-4, 2018. France host Belgium in this year's Davis Cup final in Lille from November 24-26.
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